YouTuber given absurd sentence for illegally owning a lion

A popular Pakistani YouTuber has been sentenced to create 12 animal welfare videos as punishment for illegally keeping a lion cub.

Rajab Butt, who has over 5.6 million subscribers, was filmed with the lion cub gifted to him at his wedding in December 2023 by the owner of another YouTube channel.

As part of a community service order, Rajab is required to create a five-minute educational video each month for a year to inform his viewers about wildlife conservation and responsible animal care.

Authorities have relocated the cub to the Lahore Safari Zoo, where it has been named Bhatti. In a statement, Rajab expressed regret for accepting the cub and admitted that “keeping wild animals in such circumstances is inappropriate.”

“As a social media influencer, I should create positive content. I was not authorized to keep the lion cub, and by doing so, I set a wrong example,” he added.

Additionally, the court directed the wildlife department to assist the YouTube star in creating his educational content.

Rajab Butt received cub as gift from another YouTuber

The incident came to light when a wildlife officer reported Rajab to the police after viewing a video he posted on his YouTube channel in December, showing him receiving the cub at his wedding.

The wild animal was originally handed over to him in a cage by Umar Dolla, who runs a YouTube channel called Lion Hub.

In court, Umar argued that he was still the cub’s legal owner. However, the judge ruled that the lion had been taken into possession by Rajab, according to local media reports.

Rajab stated he would “provide community service through my social media platforms and spread a positive message about the rights of wild animals.”

Tariq Janjua, director of Lahore Safari Zoo, told local media that lions are not suitable for domestication, and that keeping them as pets is both cruel to the animal and poses a significant danger to humans.