18 pet lions confiscated in Punjab as crackdown begins after Lahore attack

The Punjab government has launched a crackdown on the illegal keeping of exotic animals and confiscated 18 lions being kept as pets without proper licences, according to officials.

The move comes days after a lion escaped from a private residence in Lahore and injured a woman and two children.

According to provincial wildlife officials, the woman sustained bruises and scratches, while the two children, aged five and seven, were hospitalized. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

The lion involved in the incident was reportedly kept without a valid licence. It was seized and relocated to a nearby safari park, said Mubeen Elahi, Director General of the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department. The animal's owner has since been arrested, police confirmed.

Elahi said that under the latest regulations, individuals are prohibited from keeping lions without meeting licensing requirements, cage size standards, and other operating procedures. Violators face penalties of up to seven years in prison.

As part of the crackdown, wildlife officials raided 38 lion and tiger breeding farms, arresting eight people for regulatory violations.

“All farms in the province will be inspected by the end of the week,” Elahi said, adding that a total of 584 lions and tigers are currently housed in private residences and breeding facilities across Punjab.

On Saturday alone, the wildlife department arrested five individuals and confiscated 13 lions during coordinated raids.