Sometimes, when I write up my take on an odd story, my instinct is to offer advice to those who will never take it. Something like, if you’re going to own a pet lion, the least you could do is safely secure it so it doesn’t break out and maul an innocent bystander. But something tells me that the kind of person who has a pet lion is immune to practical advice.
A pet lion escaped from a farmhouse in Lahore’s Johar Town in the Punjab region of Pakistan last Thursday. It jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children walking through an alley.
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The trio survived with injuries to their faces and arms. The lion was eventually scared off by a man running after it with an unidentified object. The whole thing was captured on CCTV.
Escaped Pet Lion Mauls Mother and Her 2 Children
Authorities would later state the obvious: the lion had been kept in an open cage on private property without a license, which is, of course, a gigantic violation of Pakistan’s Wildlife Act. After the attack, the owners loaded the lion into a car and tried to disappear into another district, only just then realizing that lions are a bitch to hide.
Police eventually caught up with them and arrested three men. The lion was handed over to wildlife authorities.
The owners could face up to seven years in prison or a fine of approximately $17,000 US. Officials are pushing for the “toughest punishment” possible. Perhaps the key point is that this is the first time this has happened this year.
Keeping big cats as status symbols is common in Pakistan, especially among the wealthy, even though city laws prohibit it and a license is required. The BBC reports that this past January, a popular Pakistani YouTuber was court-ordered to create animal welfare videos as a punishment for owning a lion cub.
Absolutely insane rich people: a problem everyone across the world can sympathize with.
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