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The incident in which a lion was seen strolling on a busy thoroughfare in Karachi has once again highlighted the disturbing trend of keeping wild exotic animals in captivity. There is still an absence of laws for keeping wild animals as pets.
The government has not introduced laws to impose a ban on keeping wild animals as pets. It is surprising to note that there is no law to prohibit the possession of imported wild animals but it is prohibited to keep any animal or bird captured from the forest. The wildlife department can check if animals, including lions or tigers, are purchased locally or imported but they they seldom do.
Keeping lions and tigers at home has become a growing trend among the elite and considered a status symbol. These animals are often put in cages in dismal conditions. In the absence of any law, if someone keeps a pet lion, we can only lodge a police complaint regarding “negligent conduct” to an animal but cannot stop them from keeping the wild animal.
There is no data on how many wild or exotic animals are being kept as well. However, there might be enough to fill a nature reserve. It is believed there are around 100 big cats in Karachi and parts of Sindh, while lions are being kept in residential buildings in Islamabad and other major cities. The provincial government issues permits for keeping exotic animals including leopards as pets. But there is not much that can be done when someone mistreats the wild animals.
Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1979 (IWO) prohibits killing and capturing wild animals, restricts hunting, transfer and import, and empowers officers to search any place without a warrant if someone keeps a wild animal. The IWO apparently has no jurisdiction if someone wants to keep lions and tigers. In 2020, Sindh banned issuing permit for big cats and attached stringent conditions on possessing exotic animals unlike the past practice of a two-liner official permit to set up a mini-zoo.
We need to realize that wild animals cannot be kept as pets. There is a risk of diseases and dangers of keeping them in captivity. The government must seize all wild animals and keep them in a nature reserve. It is imperative to ban keeping animals in inhumane conditions for our pastime.
