The Punjab Wildlife Department siezed on Monday two lions that were being kept illegally by a resident in Gujranwala. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Act, and the animals have been seized.
A video went viral on social media showing a man, identified as Luqman, carrying firearms and parading a lion on a leash through a residential neighbourhood.
The footage caused panic among local residents, who feared the lion might attack someone.
On the instructions of Wildlife Deputy Director Sheikh Zahid Iqbal, Senior Wildlife Ranger Muhammad Umair was tasked with locating the suspect and taking appropriate action. A raid was carried out at a farmhouse in the Batala Sharam Singh area, where the two lions were found being kept illegally.
According to Ranger Umair, the suspect had neither declared the animals to the authorities nor obtained any licence for their possession. A case has also been filed under the Wildlife Act against another individual, Muhammad Akram, who was present at the farmhouse.
However, Luqman, the man featured in the viral TikTok video, has not yet been arrested.
It is important to note that under the Punjab Wildlife Act of 1974, as amended in 2025, keeping or displaying big cats in urban areas is a criminal offence.
Punjab wildlife authorities have banned the keeping of big cats in populated zones and has also prohibited the sharing of dangerous videos involving big cats on social media.
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