{"id":12691,"date":"2025-07-05T15:04:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T15:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=12691"},"modified":"2025-07-05T15:04:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T15:04:02","slug":"punjab-launches-operation-against-illegal-keeping-of-big-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=12691","title":{"rendered":"Punjab launches operation against illegal keeping of big cats"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Punjab Wildlife Department has launched a sweeping crackdown against the illegal keeping of lions and other dangerous wild animals, following orders from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.<\/p>\n

In the past 24 hours, officials recovered 13 lions and arrested five individuals from different districts. Five First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered, with investigations ongoing in two additional cases, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Wildlife rangers carried out inspections at 22 locations across the province. In Lahore, four lions were seized, four individuals were arrested, one premises was sealed, and three FIRs were registered.<\/p>\n

In Gujranwala, four lions were recovered, with one case still under investigation. In Faisalabad, authorities confiscated two lions, sealed an enclosure, and registered one FIR. In Multan, three lions were recovered, one person was arrested, and two FIRs were filed.<\/p>\n

Illegal Lion Kept in Lahore Uncovered \u2014 Swift Action by Wildlife Department<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd38Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb strongly condemned the incident. The injured individual has been shifted to the hospital and is receiving medical treatment.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd38Wildlife Rangers promptly reached the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zi2v0kcMuK
\n\u2014 PMLN (@pmln_org) July 4, 2025<\/p>\n

Wildlife officials estimate that approximately 587 big cats\u2014including lions, leopards, and tigers are being kept in Punjab, though the actual number is likely higher, as many animals are held illegally without licences or safety measures.<\/p>\n

Punjab Information and Forestry Minister\u00a0Marriyum Aurangzeb\u00a0warned that illegal wildlife trade and private possession of dangerous animals pose serious risks to public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping lions without legal authorisation is not only a grave crime but a major societal risk,\u201d Aurangzeb said. She reaffirmed the government\u2019s zero-tolerance policy and vowed that enforcement actions would continue without exception. \u201cNo one is above the law,\u201d she stated, adding that strict enforcement of wildlife protection laws would be ensured.<\/p>\n

Also Read: African lion rescued in Gujranwala after abuse video circulates on TikTok<\/p>\n

The Punjab Wildlife Department has urged the public to report any illegal keeping of lions or other dangerous animals by calling the dedicated helpline at 1107.<\/p>\n

In a separate incident a day earlier, a man was arrested in Lahore for illegally keeping an African lion without a licence after the animal escaped and wandered into a residential neighbourhood, wildlife officials said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The Punjab Wildlife Department, assisted by local police, made the arrest in the Shah Di Khoi area. The lion was safely captured and relocated to a secure wildlife facility.<\/p>\n

The escape caused widespread panic in the neighbourhood and left at least three residents injured, authorities said. All victims received medical treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Punjab Wildlife Department has launched a sweeping crackdown against the illegal keeping of lions and other dangerous wild animals, following orders from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. In the past 24 hours, officials recovered 13 lions and arrested five individuals from different districts. Five First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered, with investigations ongoing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12691\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}