Rajab Butt sentenced in illegal lion cub case

A special judicial magistrate in Lahore has sentenced TikToker Rajab Butt to one year of community service for the illegal possession of a lion cub.

Butt faced charges for unlawfully keeping a lion cub. He pleaded guilty to the charge of having possession of a lion cub without any proper licence/permit.

As part of his sentence, he would engage in community service for one year and produce vlogs focused on animal rights during the first week of each month.

The court’s ruling mandates that he will fulfil his community service obligations from February 2025 to January 2026.

In December, the Chuhng police arrested Butt for the illegal possession of a lion cub and weapons at his home.

A joint operation involving the police and the Punjab Wildlife Department led to a raid at Butt’s residence in a private housing society, where they discovered both the lion cub and the weapons.

He had told police that the lion cub was a wedding gift from a friend and denied any violations of wildlife regulations.