Punjab revokes permission to keep pet lions

2026-01-27 - 03:14

LAHORE: Following back-to-back pet lion attacks in the provincial capital last week, in which two children suffered injuries, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday ordered revocation of the legal permission to keep big cats in Punjab. Separately, a magistrate sent seven people to jail on judicial remand for keeping of dangerous animals in residential areas. Last week, a pet lion attacked an eight-year-old boy in the Sabzazar area of Lahore, in which he lost one arm. According to police, Wajid Ali went close to the lion’s cage while playing when it attacked him. Seven sent to jail on judicial remand in pet lioness attack case The lion chewed off the child’s arm owing to improper enclosure arrangements and negligence by the owner. The owner also hid the incident and misled authorities, claiming the boy was injured after his arm got stuck in a machine. Due to the severity of the injuries, doctors amputated the child’s arm to save his life. In a similar incident, a pet lioness attacked an eight-year-old girl in the Bhekewal Pind area of Lahore and seriously injured her. Police said the lioness was being shifted from one place to another by its owner in an auto-rickshaw when it became disturbed, broke free and attacked and injured the girl. “Following such incidents, CM Maryam Nawaz on Monday decided to revoke the legal permission to keep pet lions across the province,” the Punjab government said in a statement. She also directed that Wajid be provided with a modern bionic arm. Police said they arrested the accused and registered an FIR against him. The government said it had seized 59 big cats from different parts of the province and arrested 10 suspects for violating the SOPs on housing the animals. Judicial remand The local judicial magistrate sent a breeder, Fayaz alias Faizi, along with six other suspects to jail on judicial remand in a case involving the keeping of dangerous animals in residential areas, following a lion attack on a minor girl. Police informed the court that the suspects had been interrogated and their further physical custody was not required. The police requested the court to send the suspects to jail on judicial remand. Magistrate Hassan Sarfraz Cheema accepted the request and remanded the suspects to judicial lock-up, directing the police to produce them again upon completion of the remand period. Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2026