'Love is tough': Affluent Pakistanis increasingly keep, then abandon, exotic pet lions

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Updated 16 July 2022
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'Love is tough': Affluent Pakistanis increasingly keep, then abandon, exotic pet lions

  • Owners would previously gift lions to Lahore Zoo but authorities now refusing to take in more due to overcrowding
  • Lion cubs could fetch more than $2,500 a few years ago, now former lion owners say hard to get one fourth of that amount

LAHORE: When Jaun Shah bought Gabbar in 2021, he was a cute, one-month-old African lion cub who loved to play and cuddle with his new companion.

But as the animal grew older and bigger, Shah came face to face with a painful reality: raising a lion was no easy task.

Gabbar, whom Shah had named after an iconic Bollywood villain, had begun to play the part. At one point, he almost chewed off his owner’s shoulder during playtime and Shah and his helpers increasingly became afraid to go near him or into his cage.

Fourteen months after Shah had bought Gabbar for around $4,000, he gave up on trying to raise him and sold the lion off to a local housing society zoo.

“Love is tough, especially when it comes to a full-grown African lion,” Shah told Arab News. “I was wary of the violent tendencies these sublime brutes can develop but I thought we were doing just fine.”

“You can keep a cub until it’s seven eight months old but after that it just grows bigger with every passing day and a 200kg beast is not for any ordinary person to handle.”




This undated photo former lion owner Jaun Shah posing with a lion. (Jaun Shah)

He added wistfully: “Gabbar’s intentions weren’t deadly, he was just excited, mostly.”

Shah is one of several affluent Lahore residents Arab News interviewed, who had bought lions as pets in recent years and then abandoned them after being unable to provide the special care they require and realizing that raising them was both hard and dangerous. Many sold the animals to other private owners, while some approached small housing society zoos.

Unfortunately, the housing society that bought Gabbar was also now looking to rehome him — without much luck, Shah said.

“OUT OF SPACE”

In the past, owners were able to gift their pet lions to the Lahore Zoo after they got tired of them but zoo authorities are now refusing to take in more animals on account of overcrowding.

Kiran Saleem, a deputy director at the Lahore Zoo, said there was no space at the establishment to accommodate more lions.

“We are out of space, we cannot even accommodate the ones rescued by the wildlife department from illegal possession or which were kept in deplorable conditions,” she told Arab News. “In fact, some cages dedicated to tigers and panthers are also occupied by lions at the Lahore Zoo.”

The situation became especially hard to manage after the Lahore Zoo received 10 tigers and eight lions as a gift from the UAE government in 2019, which Saleem said were sent to different zoos across Punjab.

The Lahore Zoo currently houses 26 lions while the city’s Safari Park has 40. The capacity at both facilities is 18 and 34, respectively. The number of surplus lions at 21 parks and zoos across Punjab is more than 20, Saleem said.

An auction scheduled for March 15 to sell surplus lions at these facilities never took place due to lack of interest from buyers, even though the opening bid was kept at Rs 150,000 — much lower than the market price of an adult lion.

Until a few years ago, a lion cub could fetch more than half a million rupees or $2,500. Now, it was hard to get even a quarter of that, previous lion owners said.

Badar Munir, chairman of the Taskforce on Forests and Wildlife Punjab, said: “We have kept the opening bid low knowing that there aren’t many people who would be interested in buying while the market is already high on supply.”

A second auction would be held soon, he said, but the date had not yet been set.

Meanwhile, lion owners who want to give up their animals are struggling to find takers, particularly as few want a pet that is so expensive to feed and house.

“It’s an expensive pet to keep simply,” Syed Imdad Shah, a businessman who has been breeding lions for the past several years, told Arab News. “It consumes 4-5kg meat a day and you have to hire a vet full time.”




The picture posted on May 16, 2021 shows Syed Imdad Shah (second left) posing with a lion in Lahore, Pakistan. (Syed Imdad Haider/Facebook)

A lion owner also needs to spend generously on vitamins and medicines for the pet and appoint a caretaker. If you want to keep a lion as a pet, the businessman said, you should be willing to spend up to $2,500 a month. 

Dr. Rizwan Khan, a veterinary doctor hired by several lion keepers in Lahore, said a lack of behavioral therapy for lions in Pakistan was another reason owners were unable to handle them and often gave them up.

“Lions and tigers go through violent mood swings because of many reasons, including separation anxiety,” the vet told Arab News. “They may seem fearless but they also go through fears and phobias. Some common ones are thunderstorms, crowds, veterinarian visits, car rides and loud noises, and generalized anxiety, typically due to a lack of socialization.”

“TRADE IN BODY PARTS”

Why then do some people still want to keep lions as pets?

“Most of them are those who want to portray a macho image for themselves, flaunt their wealth, while there are some who have kept lions just because it is the election symbol of a political party they support,” Syed, the businessman, said, referring indirectly to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Some even consider the fat of a lion an aphrodisiac, he added, laughing.

Animal rights advocate Uzma Khan, who works for the World Wildlife Fund, said lions in Pakistan were also coveted due to illegal trade in body parts.

A 2016 WWF report titled ‘An Assessment of the Scale of Illegal Wildlife Trade in Pakistan’ says the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces are top markets for the sale of lions in the country.

The report said the wholesale price of an African lion’s hide was Rs70,000 ($350), while pendants and lockets carved out of lion teeth and claws could fetch thousands of dollars. Hakeems, or local physicians, also used lion fat in medicines meant to relieve muscular and joint pains.

Once you bring the animals into the country, there is no check and balance on their sale, WWF’s Khan said. A set of guidelines issued in 2011 by the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife, the closest to a regulatory regime in Pakistan, had no legal value, she added.

“So where do all these body parts come from? Obviously from dead animals but no one has data on lions who died and how?” she told Arab News. “Autopsies are performed on animals which die at zoos or parks but none are done when it comes to individuals or companies [who own lions].”

Khan lamented the lack of rescue centers for abandoned lions and the fact that authorities were not controlling the growing lion numbers through contraceptives and neutering.

“Breeding big cats is not rocket science. They breed easily, and within a couple of years, their numbers have increased to the extent that we cannot help the unwanted ones,” the animal rights activist said.

She says she had advised authorities on numerous occasions to put lions at zoos on contraceptives or neuter them.

“These methods are used worldwide to control over-population in captivity. I don’t know why we can’t do it here,” she said.

“FEEL BAD FOR MY ANIMAL”

For now, lion enthusiasts warn that often what is mistaken for violent tendencies, and which lead owners to give them up, are just the lions being playful.

“It’s not for the faint hearted to keep lions as pets,” enthusiast Usman Khan said. “When lions are being playful, they jump on you, cuddle with you, but in their own way. Most people get terrified by this playfulness but you have to be lion-hearted yourself to keep a lion, otherwise please don’t.”




The photo posted on April 5, 2020 show Usman Khan holding a cub in Pakistan. (usmanbullet_/instagram)

Khan advised lion keepers not to be afraid when a playful lion bit or hugged them “because if you do try to pull away it will further clench and you will get hurt.”

“Just let it be, it will loosen up the bite,” he said. “Better still, put something bitter on your arms before playing with it. They’re repelled by the taste and won’t probably try to bite you again, even during play.”

But Shah, the past owner of Gabbar, said he still has a hard time getting over his fears. Though he still visits his former pet at his new home at the housing society, he now only watches from a distance.

“It still gets excited to see me but I cannot cuddle it, nor can I stay there for long,” he said. “I feel bad for my animal.”


Cherry festival in northern Pakistan draws crowds amid growing exports to China

Updated 10 sec ago
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Cherry festival in northern Pakistan draws crowds amid growing exports to China

  • Gilgit-Baltistan, which produces 9,000 tons of cherries, exported over a quarter of the crop to China last year
  • Agricultural experts say the region’s cold climate is ideal for growing cherries, apricots and apples

SKARDU, Gilgit-Baltistan: As Pakistan begins to export cherries to neighboring China, a colorful one-day festival in Skardu this week drew hundreds of visitors, highlighting the potential of agri-tourism and cherry farming in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, officials and growers said.

Home to the Khunjerab Pass — the highest paved international border crossing in the world — GB is often described as Pakistan’s gateway to China.

The region’s cold climate is ideal for growing high-quality fruits such as cherries, apricots and apples.

“This is the 5th National Cherry Festival, and we are organizing Agri-Mela as part of the festival,” Zakir Hussain, deputy director at the GB agriculture department, told Arab News on Friday.

Visitors sample different verities of cherries displayed at a stall at the 5th National Cherry Festival in Skardu. Pakistan on June 20, 2025. (AN Photo)

 “The aim of this festival is to introduce cherry as a cash crop.”

He said the event, organized in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan, aimed to raise awareness about harvesting, marketing and the economic importance of cherries.

According to the GB agriculture department, the region produces 8,000 to 9,000 tons of cherries annually, with dried cherry marketing now also underway.

“Almost 3,000 tons of cherries had been exported to China in 2024,” Hussain said, adding that GB was the leading cherry-producing region in Pakistan.

Local farmers say the festival boosts their income and visibility.

A cherry farmer displays his produce at the 5th National Cherry Festival in Skardu. Pakistan on June 20, 2025. (AN Photo)

“We have been growing cherries for the last 12 to 13 years and we have 200 to 300 cherry trees in our orchard,” said Skinder Ali, a 40-year-old farmer. “Whenever the festival is held in Gilgit-Baltistan, we participate. And due to this event, we get access to the market at the national level.”

The festival also attracted tourists from other parts of the country.

“We especially came to Skardu to see the cherries, and we are from Islamabad,” Zohra Begum, a 52-year-old visitor, said. “We have been visiting [the stalls] for the last hour... The taste of cherries is very good ... So far we have purchased 10 kilograms. Let’s see how much we purchase later.”

“I am a traveler and biker from Lahore,” said Mohsin Abbas, another tourist. “We were in Shigar last night when we came to know about the festival. So we came here... We have tasted the cherries and they are very delicious.”

Ghulamullah Saqib, an agriculture expert and trainer, said the region’s climate is well suited for cherries, which require 800 to 1,000 chilling hours to bear fruit.

“There are 14 varieties of cherry that are found in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he added.


Pakistan asks distribution companies to ensure uninterrupted power supply to facilitate Muharram gatherings

Updated 12 min 56 sec ago
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Pakistan asks distribution companies to ensure uninterrupted power supply to facilitate Muharram gatherings

  • Thousands of Pakistanis take part in religious gatherings, processions every year in Muharram 
  • Energy ministry instructs DISCOs to inspect distribution networks, place teams on high alert

iSLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Energy Ministry on Sunday directed senior officials of distribution companies (DISCOs) to ensure uninterrupted power supply to facilitate religious gatherings next month during Muharram.

Thousands of Pakistanis every year during the Islamic month of Muharram take part in religious gatherings and processions to pay tribute to Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. 

In its letter, the ministry said Muharram is falling in July when heat waves are expected in many parts of the country. 

“It is very much imperative that all necessary measures are taken to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to facilitate these religious gatherings and avoid any inconvenience to the public,” the letter said. 

 The ministry urged DISCOs to conduct thorough inspections of all transmission and distribution networks, particularly in areas where religious gatherings and processions are expected to take place.

It also directed the companies to deploy dedicated emergency response teams on high alert throughout Muharram, especially on the 9th and 10th of Muharram when the main processions take place, to address any power disruptions immediately. 

The ministry instructed DISCOs to communicate with consumers, especially mosques and imambargahs, regarding any scheduled maintenance or potential load management measures to minimize inconvenience. 

“Assign duty rosters to ensure 24/7 availability of technical and operational staff during Muharram to respond swiftly to any power-related issues,” the letter read. 

“The sanctity of Muharram demands our utmost commitment to serving the public with diligence and respect,” it said. “Any negligence in this regard will be viewed seriously.”

The Energy Ministry directed DISCOs to submit a compliance report to the Power Division regarding the measures taken in this regard. 

Thousands of people suffer from power outages, lasting several hours each day, during the summers every year in Pakistan. 

Pakistan suffers from an energy crisis that stems largely from a gap in its energy supplies and electricity demand. The cash-strapped country lacks adequate resources to run its oil-and-gas-powered plants and imports most of its energy needs. 


India arrests two for harboring Kashmir attackers

Updated 22 June 2025
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India arrests two for harboring Kashmir attackers

  • Suspects provided food, shelter, logistical support to “terrorists” who killed tourists in Pahalgam, says Indian agency 
  • Pahalgam attack led to armed military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May in which over 70 were killed

SRINAGAR, India: New Delhi’s counter-terrorism agency said Sunday it has arrested two men in India-administered Kashmir for allegedly harboring Pakistani gunmen behind a deadly attack on civilians that sparked a days-long conflict between the two countries.

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the two suspects were from the Pahalgam area, where gunmen killed 26 people two months ago.

“The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had... selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,” a statement by NIA said. The majority of those killed were Hindu men.

The agency identified the two men as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, claiming the duo “have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack,” and have confirmed they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group.

New Delhi has accused Pakistan of backing the attack without making public any evidence, and Islamabad has denied the charge.

The April 22 killings triggered a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures by the nuclear-armed countries and led to intense exchanges of missile, drone and artillery fire.

The four-day conflict left more than 70 people dead on both sides.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between the South Asian rivals — claimed by both in full — since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbors have fought two wars over its control.

Rebel groups, demanding the divided region’s independence or merger with Pakistan, have waged an insurgency since 1989.


Pakistan condemns US strikes on Iran nuclear sites, warns of regional escalation

Updated 22 June 2025
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Pakistan condemns US strikes on Iran nuclear sites, warns of regional escalation

  • Analysts warn of regional blowback, rising energy costs
  • Cross-border security risks also heighten for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday condemned US airstrikes targeting Iran’s key nuclear facilities, as experts warned that further escalation could push the Middle East toward a wider war with dangerous economic and security consequences for countries like Pakistan.

The strikes, carried out by the US military early Sunday, hit three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The attacks came amid Israel’s ongoing campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, which Israeli officials claim is nearing weaponization, an allegation Iran denies, insisting its activities remain peaceful and under international safeguards.

US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against retaliation, saying Washington could target more sites “with precision, speed and skill.” Iran has said it “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

The map outlines main the facilities of Iran's nuclear programme which were targetted by US strikes on June 22, 2025. (Reuters)

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, Pakistan’s foreign office said it was “gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region” and described the US strikes as a violation of international law.

“Pakistan condemns the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities which follow the series of attacks by Israel,” the statement read. “Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond.”

Pakistan said Iran had the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilian lives and “immediately bring the conflict to an end.”

“Recourse to dialogue, diplomacy, in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter remain the only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region,” the statement added.

Tensions flared on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes against what it described as Iran’s military leadership and nuclear infrastructure. Iran, a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has since retaliated with missile attacks on Israeli targets. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has now directly joined the campaign.

Experts warn the latest US strikes undermine global arms control norms and would have both economic and security implications for Pakistan.

Dr. Rabia Akhtar, an expert on nuclear security, said attacking a safeguarded nuclear program “destroyed the very space diplomacy depends on.” 

“If the response to nuclear restraint is pre-emptive force, you normalize the idea that only the bomb ensures sovereignty,” she said. 

Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, deputy director at the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, said the latest US strikes had dealt a “severe blow” to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

“Iran, which is a party to the NPT, might decide to leave that treaty which will be a massive loss for the non-proliferation regime,” Jaffery told Arab News.

He said Tehran now had the right under international law to target US installations in the Middle East and could step up attacks on Israel in response. Jaffery also warned that if Iran were to block the Strait of Hormuz, it would have “serious consequences” for the global economy.

Indeed, a wider Middle East conflict could disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil passes, adding to price pressures for Pakistan, which relies heavily on imported fuel.

“More than 30 percent of the energy transits through the strait and one should expect an astronomical rise in oil prices and other tradables passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Pakistan’s former ambassador to Iran, Asif Durrani.

Instability could also spill over Pakistan’s 900-kilometer border with Iran in Balochistan, an area prone to separatist militancy and cross-border attacks by armed groups.

The crisis also raises questions about how Islamabad will navigate its delicate balancing act between Iran, other Gulf partners, and the United States, which remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a critical source of military and economic assistance. How Pakistan manages these competing ties amid an escalating regional conflict could test its diplomacy in the coming weeks.


Five militants killed, two CTD personnel injured in southwest Pakistan— police

Updated 22 June 2025
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Five militants killed, two CTD personnel injured in southwest Pakistan— police

  • Balochistan CTD carry out intelligence-based operation in Killa Abdullah district, say police 
  • Pakistani Taliban militants have carried out deadly attacks against law enforcers since decades

QUETTA: Five militants were killed while two Balochistan Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel were injured during a counterterror operation in southwestern Pakistan this week, CTD said. 

The CTD said its personnel conducted an intelligence-based operation in Jungle Pir Alizai area of Balochistan’s volatile Killah Abdullah district on Saturday when the exchange between the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and law enforcers took place. 

“In an exchange of fire, five suspected terrorists were killed,” the CTD spokesperson said in a statement released Saturday night. “Weapons and explosives were recovered from the terrorists during the operation,” it added. 

CTD said maps of “sensitive locations” and other items were also recovered from the slain militants, adding that they were involved in militant activities in Pishin and Killa Abdullah districts.

The TTP has launched some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces targeting civilians and law enforcers since 2007. 

Pakistan has suffered a surge in militant attacks in KP and Balochistan since November 2022 when peace talks between the state and the TTP broke down. 

Pakistan blames the Afghan government in Kabul for sheltering TTP militants that carry out attacks against Islamabad. The Afghan Taliban deny the allegations and have urged Islamabad to resolve its security challenges internally. 

The TTP has mainly carried out its operations in KP though it has also targeted Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land mass yet its most backward by almost all social and economic indicators. 

Balochistan has been rocked by a low-level insurgency for decades, where ethnic Baloch separatists accuse Islamabad of denying locals a share in the province’s natural and mineral resources. 

Pakistan denies the allegations and says it is carrying out several health, educational and development projects in the province.