Pakistan: Authorities seize 18 lions kept as pets

Pakistani authorities confiscated eighteen lions kept illegally as pets in the densely populated Punjab region during a targeted operation, provincial officials said Monday.

Authorities launched a crackdown after a lion escaped from a house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and attacked a woman and two children. The incident, which took place last week, was captured on video.

None of the people suffered life-threatening injuries, according to provincial officials. The lion, which was kept without a license in a house in Lahore, was confiscated.

The lion was sent to a local safari park, according to Mubeen Elahi, director general of the provincial Wildlife and Parks Department.

Police said the owner was arrested.

Keeping big pets considered a status symbol
Keeping a lion at home without following the legal requirements for ownership of big cats is an offense punishable by up to seven years in jail, Elahi told the Reuters news agency.

As well as confiscating the 18 animals, the department raided 38 lion and tiger breeding farms and arrested eight people for violating the rules, he said.

There are more than 500 lions and tigers in homes and breeding farms in Punjab, Elahi said, adding they would be inspected by the end of the week.

Keeping exotic animals is considered a status symbol among some wealthy Pakistanis, despite the high fees associated with ownership.