Audio By Carbonatix
Police in Pakistan have arrested the owners of a pet lion that attacked a woman and her three young children after it escaped.
Dramatic CCTV footage from the eastern city of Lahore showed how the big cat leapt over a concrete wall and chased the woman down as terrified onlookers ran for safety.
The woman and her children, aged five and seven, sustained injuries to their arms and faces but are now in stable condition, authorities said.
Police have accused the lion's owners of keeping a wild animal without a licence and negligence leading to its escape. The lion was captured and moved to a wildlife park.
Big cats as pets are a status symbol in Pakistan, where it is legal to keep lions, cheetahs, tigers, pumas and jaguars after registering them and paying a one-time fee of 50,000 rupees ($176; £129) per animal.
However, such cats must be housed outside city limits. Lahore, located in Punjab province, is Pakistan's second-largest city.
The children's father claimed that the lion's owners stood by and watched as their pet clawed at his family on Wednesday. He said they did not do anything to restrain it.
The video showed the woman picking herself up then running back to seek help from onlookers, some of whom were seen running in panic.
Days after the incident, authorities in Punjab launched a crackdown on illegal wildlife possession. They have arrested five people and recovered 13 lions since.
In January, a Pakistani YouTube star was ordered to create animal welfare videos as punishment for illegally owning a lion cub.
Rajab Butt, who has 5.6 million subscribers, was presented the cub as a wedding gift.
Latest Stories
-
The Agbodza Axe: Why Deadlines are the New Social Contract
22 minutes -
NIA aims to build a dynamic database – Corporate Affairs Director
40 minutes -
Court refuses businessmen bail over GH¢49m gold fraud
41 minutes -
Patronise local chicken to sustain Nkoko Nketenkete Programme – Coordinator
42 minutes -
Tanyigbe SHS girls shine at African 15th Armwrestling Championship
45 minutes -
Never once did I interfere – Former AG Godfred Dame defends record with OSP
47 minutes -
Adongo defends BoG recapitalisation plan amid growing debate over GH¢93.82bn negative equity
58 minutes -
Ghana petitions AU over xenophobic attacks on African nationals in South Africa
1 hour -
Shocking and perplexing – Godfred Dame slams gov’t attempts to weaken OSP
1 hour -
GPL 2025/26: Medeama drop points as GoldStars keep title hopes alive
1 hour -
Irresponsible court reporting erodes public trust in judiciary – CHRAJ Director warns
1 hour -
Expose young people to courts and prisons to curb crime – Judge advocates
1 hour -
Suame MP slams ORAL initiative as ‘illegal’ and driven by haste
1 hour -
Gideon Boako accuses BoG of ‘accounting gimmick’ over solvency position
2 hours -
Minority raises alarm over BoG losses, says concerns are in national interest
2 hours