SAHIWAL: TheFarid Town police registered a case on Wednesday against a man for keeping four lions and two lion cubs without obtaining a wildlife department licence at a ‘mini zoo’ established in Iris Resort on Madhali Road.
The police sources say that the public resort was owned by Rana Amir Shahzad, a former tehsil nazim and the PTI’s candidate from NA 141-Sahiwal in the previous general election, where one Rana Saeed had kept the lions and their cubs without a wildlife department licence.
The Punjab wildlife department had earlier published advertisements in two national newspapers on March 26, 2025, instructing the lion owners in the province to obtain licences for keeping lions. However, the Iris Resort management failed to comply with the instructions.
The sources say that the mini zoo was being run at the resort for two years and it was in the knowledge of the wildlife department’s local office.
The resort administration argued that the lions and cubs had been kept in a safe facility on the ‘mini zoo’ premises, but admitted they lacked the necessary documentation, which is a legal prerequisite for keeping lions.
On January 25, a wildlife department team inspected the resort and declared that keeping lions in such a facility posed a threat to public safety.
Following this, the Farid Town police registered case No 126/26 against the owner of lions under various sections, including 289 of the PPC and 10-A, 10-B, 10-II, 5(1) and 9-(II) of the Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act 1974, as well as the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Ordinance 1975.
The complaint was filed by Muhammad Zahid, Senior Wildlife Ranger, Sahiwal.
Though the department also recommended the sealing of the ‘mini zoo’, no such action has so far been taken. The police sources say that no arrest has been made so far.
This correspondent attempted to contact Wildlife Assistant Director Sidra Shabir and other officials concerned for their comments, but they kept their phones switched off.
Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026
