Big cat owners hide their animals from Pakistan crackdown

Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have initiated a significant crackdown targeting the illegal ownership of exotic big cats, prompting owners to conceal their animals. The intensified enforcement comes in the wake of a recent incident where a pet lion escaped its enclosure and launched attacks on a woman and two children in a residential area. This alarming event has spurred the Punjab rangers to conduct raids across various locations, aiming to confiscate illegally kept wild animals and ensure public safety. The widespread popularity of keeping large felines, such as lions and tigers, as status symbols has led to a burgeoning, largely unregulated, private exotic pet trade in the region. Owners, now facing stringent legal action and confiscation of their valuable pets, are reportedly moving their animals to undisclosed locations to evade detection by the authorities. The provincial government is under pressure to enforce existing wildlife protection laws more rigorously, as critics highlight the inherent dangers and ethical concerns associated with keeping apex predators in urban environments. The current operation seeks to curb this trend and prevent further incidents that endanger both the public and the animals themselves.