An 11-month-old lion was roaming a crowded Lahore neighborhood on Thursday night, injuring a woman and two children after it broke free from a private home.
According to police, security footage actually shows the lion leaping over a wall and going after people on the street.
The video shows the animal knocking down a woman carrying groceries. It then clawed at her two children, aged five and seven, according to the children’s father who later filed a police report.
They were hospitalized, but their injuries aren’t believed to be serious.
Arrests Made Within Hours
The lion’s owners initially fled the scene, taking the animal with them. Police arrested three men within 12 hours.
“The suspects fled from the spot, taking the lion with them,” said the office of the Deputy Inspector General Operations in Lahore. “They were arrested the same night.”
The lion has been seized and moved to a wildlife park, where staff say it’s doing well.
Owners Allegedly “Amused”
The father of the injured children claimed the pet’s owners appeared entertained as the lion attacked passersby.
“They didn’t intervene. They stood there, amused,” he said in the report.
This statement could not be independently verified.
A Pattern of Escapes
Thursday’s incident is not isolated. In December 2024, a fully grown lion escaped in another part of Lahore and was later shot dead by a security guard. That case stirred debate about keeping exotic animals in residential settings.
Soon after, the Punjab government introduced new regulations for exotic animal ownership.
Laws Now Require Licenses
Under the new rules, individuals must obtain licenses to own big cats. These animals are no longer allowed in residential areas.
Breeders are required to pay registration fees and operate on farms that cover at least ten acres.
Laws aside, lions and other exotic pets remain symbols of wealth in some parts of Pakistan — often at the expense of public safety in packed neighborhoods.
Authorities haven’t said if more legal steps will follow. The investigation is still underway.
