Pakistani YouTuber Punished for Illegally Keeping a Lion

A Pakistani YouTuber with over five million subscribers, Rajab Butt, has been ordered to create 12 animal welfare videos after illegally keeping a lion cub gifted to him at his wedding.

Illegal Ownership Leads to Community Service

Butt received the cub from fellow YouTuber Umar Dolla, who runs a channel called Lion Hub. Despite Dolla’s claims of ownership, a court ruled that Butt had seized the animal illegally.

As punishment, Butt must produce and upload one five-minute video per month for a year to educate his audience on animal welfare. He has since admitted that keeping a wild animal as a pet was “inappropriate” and has pledged to promote wildlife rights.

Lion Cub Relocated to Zoo

The cub, now named Bhatti, has been moved to Lahore Safari Zoo, where officials emphasized that lions cannot be domesticated and keeping them as pets is both cruel and dangerous.

Butt was reported after a wildlife official saw his video featuring the cub. He now says he will use his platform to spread awareness about proper animal care.

Past Tragedies Highlight the Risks

Experts warn that lions remain wild predators, no matter how they are raised. In 2019, South African “Lion Man” Leon van Biljon—who raised three lions from cubs—was killed by his own animals when he entered their enclosure.