African lion confiscated in Punjab crackdown

RAWALPINDI: A two-year-old African lion was seized from the private property of a feudal lord in the Bewal area of Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, during a raid conducted by the Punjab Wildlife Department, ARY News reported.

The raid was conducted on Monday with the support of a heavy police force from Kallar Syedan Police Station.

Deputy Director Arfa Batool and Assistant Director Rizwana Aziz led the Gujar Khan wildlife raid after being granted a search warrant from the local court.

The lion, kept unlawfully without a license, was tranquillised immediately by an on-site veterinary doctor before being safely moved.

Officials confirmed that the African lion confiscated was being held in defiance of wildlife guidelines.

The Gujar Khan wildlife raid is part of an extensive operation across Punjab, where 18 illegally kept lions were seized following a recent attack in Lahore involving an escaped lion that injured a woman and two children.

According to the reports, during the raid and confiscation of the African lion, the feudal lord’s workers and their families were present at the compound, while the actual owners were reportedly residing in the United Kingdom.

The provincial Wildlife and Parks Department has since raided 38 breeding farms and arrested eight individuals for violating nontraditional animal laws.

As per regulations, no individual is permitted to keep lions without proper licensing, cage specifications, and obedience to standard operating procedures. Those who violate the regulations will have to face seven years in prison.

The Gujar Khan wildlife raid indicates rising concerns over the trend of keeping wild animals as a mark of distinction, often supported by social media.

Officials are now increasing inspections of all known breeding farms in Punjab to ensure compliance.

Earlier, a man was arrested in the Shah Di Khui area of Lahore for illegally keeping a lion without a license, after the animal attacked a family, injuring three people, including two children.

The Wildlife Department has confiscated the lion and transferred it to a sanctuary.