Lion escapes enclosure in Pakistan, attacks children and woman on street
In Lahore, Pakistan, on a busy street, an 11-month-old male lion, having escaped from an unsecured farmhouse enclosure, chased down a woman and three children. The incident, which occurred on a Thursday night, was captured on CCTV footage by the police.
The lion, shown leaping a wall in the footage, pursued the woman carrying her shopping, knocked the woman to the ground, and clawed the arms and faces of a five-year-old and a seven-year-old child. Thankfully, the victims were not critically injured.
The father of the children made a police report, stating that the lion's owners showed amusement at the lion's attack on passers-by. The police intervened, arrested the suspects who owned the lion, and confiscated the animal to a wildlife park.
Incidents of escaped pet lions attacking people in urban areas, while rare, have been reported in Lahore. In December 2024, another adult lion escaped its enclosure in a different Lahore neighborhood, causing terror before it was shot dead by a security guard.
These incidents underscore a concerning pattern related to the illegal or unregulated keeping of big cats as pets in Punjab, Pakistan. The practice, seen as a status symbol, has led to public safety risks. Following the December 2024 incident, the provincial government enacted new laws requiring licenses to own big cats, prohibiting ownership in residential areas, and imposing strict conditions on breeders and farms.
Therefore, while not frequent, escaped pet lion attacks in Lahore's urban areas are a documented safety concern linked to the illicit private ownership of exotic animals. It is crucial that these incidents serve as a reminder for stricter regulations to ensure the safety of both humans and animals in the region.
[1] Reported in the Daily Express, July 5, 2025 [2] Reported in the Lahore Times, July 5, 2025 [3] Reported in the Punjab Tribune, January 15, 2025
- The Daily Express, July 5, 2025, reported a series of alarming incidents related to general-news, including a recent case of a crime-and-justice nature involving an escaped pet lion attacking passers-by in a Lahore street.
- In sports news, the Lahore Times, July 5, 2025, discussed the provincial government's reply to public concerns regarding the safety risks of the illegal or unregulated keeping of big cats as pets, which was triggered by a string of unfortunate events, the latest being the lion attack mentioned earlier.
