Big cats continue to appear at fairs despite tighter restrictions

Amendments made to the law in 2025 introduced stricter conditions for keeping lions, tigers, pumas and jaguars

LAHORE:

Despite stricter restrictions on keeping lions, tigers and other dangerous wild animals in urban areas and using them for public display, big cats continue to be seen at fairs and circuses across Punjab, raising questions about enforcement and oversight of wildlife laws.

Videos recently surfaced from a fair in Chawinda, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot district, showing lions performing tricks during a Lucky Irani Circus show. The videos show the animals being made to perform various acts in front of an audience. Reports of Lucky Irani Circus shows have also emerged in recent weeks from Kanganpur, Burewala, Sargodha and other cities.

Under Punjab’s wildlife laws, keeping wild animals, transporting them and displaying them to the public require prescribed permissions and compliance with specific conditions. Amendments made to the law in 2025 introduced stricter conditions for keeping big cats, including lions, tigers, pumas and jaguars. The law also prohibits keeping wild animals at locations where their safety or that of the public may be at risk.

Legal action can also be taken against those who subject animals to cruelty, keep them in unsuitable conditions or use them in ways that endanger their welfare. Some violations can carry fines of up to Rs5 million and imprisonment of up to seven years.

Last year, after a lion escaped into a residential area in Lahore and injured a woman and children, Punjab authorities launched a major crackdown on privately kept big cats. Wildlife Rangers Punjab carried out operations in Lahore, Jhelum, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot and other cities, taking dozens of lions and tigers into custody.

Several of these cases subsequently reached the courts. In some instances, animals were returned to their owners on the basis of court orders and affidavits, subject to conditions that they be kept at registered breeding farms and not brought into urban areas. A number of cases remain pending before the courts.

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Deputy Chief Wildlife Ranger Punjab Asim Bilal said action against people keeping wild animals illegally was continuing. He said Lucky Irani Circus and other individuals and organisations had previously faced challans, seizure of animals and criminal cases. He added that further amendments had been proposed to make the conditions for keeping wild animals stricter and had been sent to the provincial cabinet for approval.

Badr Munir, a member of the Punjab Captive Wildlife Management Committee and a wildlife expert, said lions experience stress when exposed to noise, crowds and bright lights or when repeatedly transported from one place to another. "Even a minor failure in safety arrangements could lead to an accident. The risk is particularly high for children attending fairs," said Munir.

Ayeza Haider, focal person for the Pakistan Animal Rights Activist Group (PARAG), questioned under what legal permission big cats were being publicly displayed at fairs and circuses if authorities were taking strict action against their private ownership and presence in urban areas.

Besides Lucky Irani Circus, Dhoom, Great Pakistani Circus and Janbaz Circus are also operating in Punjab. Lucky Irani Circus and Great Pakistani Circus have previously advertised the display of lions and other wild animals on social media.

The continued use of big cats in public performances highlights a gap between the restrictions contained in Punjab’s wildlife laws and their implementation on the ground. While authorities say enforcement action is continuing, wildlife experts and animal rights activists are calling for consistent application of the rules governing the keeping, transport and public display of dangerous wild animals.