Pakistan's big cat boom raises safety and ethical questions

Lahore: In Punjab province, hundreds of lions and other big cats are legally kept by private owners. Supporters call it passion but critics warn of ethical and safety risks.

In Pakistan, private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers has sparked debate. A new law bans keeping them in homes, allowing only licensed breeding farms outside cities. Owners argue their facilities are legal, safe, and help raise awareness about endangered species, as wild lion populations have dropped by over 90% in the past century.

Animal welfare groups, however, call the practice unethical and a mere status symbol, pointing out that captive enclosures offer only a fraction of a lion’s natural range.

For Fayyaiz Sheikh his lions are not symbol of danger, they are the embodiment of pride and responsibility. “We have also heard since childhood that a lion eats humans, but that is not the case. He's very happy when he can sit down and eat, he wont’s bother you,” he said.

A law was recently passed by the government to regulate the private ownership of big cats that includes lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars.

Mohammad Abbas, Assistant Director, Islamabad Wild Life Management Board, said: In that act, the big four are protected. “ You are not allowed to keep them at home. You are strictly forbidden and prohibited. If somebody does so, there is a big penalty and jail term also,.” he said.

“The government has not banned it. The government has only allowed breeding farms to operate normally and has prohibited keeping them at home. It is forbidden to keep them at home. You cannot keep them in urban areas, but you can keep them on farms and breeding farms, away from the city,” said Faisal Tariq, big cat caretaker.

“The video of putting animals in captivity for status symbols is just something I think that people have their insecurities and they feel that oh if I have a lion I'm going to show that I'm a very tough person. You're not. It's just a status symbol that's feeding your ego,” Jude Allen animal rights activist.

“They're not supposed to be kept in houses for sure. They're supposed to be in their natural habitat, living a free life,” he added.