Terror on Lahore streets: Pet lion escapes farmhouse, attacks woman, children in terrifying street rampage; video viral

A pet lion in Pakistan's Lahore district escaped from a private farmhouse and chased a woman and two children down a busy street, AFP quoted police as saying on Friday.

The video of the lion escaping from a private farmhouse in Lahore’s Johar Town was captured on CCTV on Thursday and has gone viral. In the video, it can be seen that the lion jumps the barrier around its home and pursues a woman carrying her shopping.

Soon after this, the lion jumped on her back and knocked her to the ground. Following this, the lion also attacked a five-year-old and a seven-year-old children. He even clawed their arms and faces.

Here are the videos:

All the injured were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, however, none of them are in critical condition.

Filing a complaint with the police, the father of injured children alleged that the owners who ran out of the house were "amused to see their lion attack" the passersby.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested three men related with the case. "The suspects fled from the spot, taking the lion with them. They were arrested within 12 hours of the incident," AFP quoted the office of the Deputy Inspector General Operations in Lahore as saying.

Apart from this, the police also confiscated the 11-month lion and sent to a wildlife park.

Previous incidents:

Earlier in 2024, an adult lion escaped from its enclosure in another neighbourhood of Lahore. It was later shot dead by a security guard.

Following this, the provincial government passed news laws regulating the sale, purchase, breeding and ownership of big cats. It requires owners to obtain licenses for the animals which are barred from being kept in residential areas. For this, the breeders have to pay a hefty fee for registration, while farms have to be a minimum of 10 acres in size.

With agency inputs.