The owners of a pet lion that jumped a wall and attacked a woman and two children in the Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested.
The woman and her two young children, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital, after being attacked in an alleyway when the lion escaped from a farmhouse in the neighborhood of Johan town on Thursday.
Security camera footage released by police showed the lion leaping over a concrete wall and pouncing on a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. A man can be seen running out of the property the lion escaped from with an object in hand and chasing the lion away from the woman, before the wild cat takes off further down the road where the children were attacked.
They sustained injuries to their faces and arms but are now in stable condition, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Lahore police said in a video posted to social media that the lion had escaped from an open cage at the farmhouse and that it was recaptured by the owners, who promptly put it in a vehicle and went into hiding in another district.
Muhammad Faisal Kamran, Deputy Inspector General of Lahore Police Operations, said three people were arrested on Friday morning. “We’ve also captured the lion and transferred it to Wildlife authorities,” Kamran said.
Lahore police shared an image of three men in a police cell and video of the lion in a cage.
Local media reported that the owner did not have a license to keep the lion and would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Act, meaning they could face a maximum prison term of seven years or a fine equating to $17,500. CNN has sought confirmation from the Punjab Wildlife and Parks department.
Owning wild cats as pets is seen as a status symbol in Pakistan and is not uncommon, but a license is required, and large cats must be kept outside city limits.
“This unfortunate incident highlights how wild animals are often kept in such places without a license, or permission — with no legal procedures followed — endangering the lives of many people,” Kamran said.
The Punjab government announced Sunday that it was undertaking a province-wide crackdown on those keeping lions without a license. So far, 13 lions have been captured and five individuals arrested in connection with violating wildlife regulations.
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