Punjab Wildlife Department officials raided a house in Lahore’s Iqbal Town and seized a lion that was being kept without a license. The operation was launched after a video went viral on social media, showing a resident, Azhar Mehmood, taking selfies with the wild animal.
According to the Punjab Wildlife Department, the lion was being kept in an illegal cage on the rooftop of Mehmood’s house, which did not meet the required safety standards. Under the Wildlife Act, keeping a wild animal without official permission and publicly displaying it is a punishable offense.
The Punjab government recently introduced stricter amendments to wildlife protection laws, making it illegal to keep lions or other wild animals without a license, exhibit them in public, or promote their presence on social media. Violators now face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to PKR 5 million.
Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb commended the swift action by the Wildlife Department, emphasizing that no one would be granted leniency for violating the law. She reiterated that the government, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s directive, remains committed to ensuring strict enforcement of wildlife protection regulations.
