Punjab authorities have announced a sweeping new policy to sterilize tigers, lions, leopards, and other dangerous big cats kept in private custody.
The move comes alongside a ban on the sale and purchase of these animals and stricter enforcement of wildlife laws.
Chief Wildlife Rangers Punjab, Mubeen Elahi, confirmed that for the first time, the province is regulating big cats under a phased plan.
Owners were given a deadline to declare their animals, and so far, 180 breeding farms have registered their big cats.
The second phase, now underway, involves verification of these farms and facility upgrades. Farms failing to comply or those keeping animals illegally are facing legal action: 18 big cats have already been seized, seven FIRs registered, and eight people arrested.
The new regulations prohibit keeping lions and tigers in urban areas, housing societies, or residential neighborhoods. Only registered breeding farms meeting strict standards will be allowed to keep big cats, with a registration fee of Rs 50,000 per animal, renewable annually.
In the third phase, the sale and purchase of these animals will be banned, and in the final phase, sterilization will be carried out to prevent uncontrolled breeding.
The crackdown follows a recent incident in Lahore where an illegally kept pet lion escaped into a residential area, causing panic and injuring three people before being recaptured by wildlife officials.
Wildlife experts have welcomed the move, stressing that big cats should only be kept in zoos, wildlife parks, or regulated breeding farms, not in private residences. The Punjab Wildlife Department has urged the public to report illegal ownership of big cats via a dedicated helpline.
