Punjab Wildlife Department on Monday rushed two lions held illegally by a resident of Gujranwala. A case has been registered in accordance with the Animal Law and the animals have been seized.
A video was viral on social media showing a man identified as Luqman, carries firearms and paraded a lion on a leash through a residential neighborhood.
The footage caused panic among local residents who feared the lion could attack someone.
On the instructions of Wildlife -Vice Director Sheikh Zahid Iqbal, senior wildlife ranger Muhammad Umair was tasked with locating the suspect and taking appropriate actions. A raid was performed at a farm in the Batala Sharam Singh area where the two lions were found illegally.
According to Ranger Umair, the suspect had neither declared the animals to the authorities nor obtained any license for their possession. A case has also been filed according to the Wildlife Act against another person, Muhammad Akram, who was present at the farm.
However, Luqman, the man in the viral Tiktok video, has not yet been arrested.
It is important to note that under the Punjab Wildlife Act of 1974, as changed in 2025, keeping or showing large cats in urban areas is a criminal act.
Punjab Wildlife authorities have prohibited keeping large cats in populated zones and have also banned the sharing of dangerous videos involving big cats on social media.
