A lion roaming on Sharea Faisal on Tuesday was captured and handed over to the Sindh Wildlife Department, police said.
The area saw a massive traffic jam with media vehicles arriving at the scene to cover the incident and crowds gathering to catch a glimpse of the escaped lion.
The animal ‘escaped’ near Aisha Bawany College in the evening and hid under a different car in a parking area, according to South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sheraz Nazir, who was transporting the animal to a veterinarian in a loader vehicle.
He added that the lion’s owner, Shamsul Haq, was also taken into custody and later turned over to the Sindh Wildlife Department. Following the incident, the wildlife department and Karachi Metropolitan authorities were asked to send animal control personnel.
The official predicted that “they will file a case against him.”
The lion was sick and had not eaten for three days, according to SSP Nazir, who added that Haq, a resident of the Garden neighbourhood, had told the police he was taking the animal to the doctor.
“He says he kept the lion and other animals at a farmstead near the highway. “A wildlife team will inspect that location,” he continued.
The SSP claimed that because the animal was not chained when it escaped, it appeared that no precautions were taken while transporting it.
A wildlife team was sent to Sharea Faisal, according to earlier statements made by Sindh Chief Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar, after reports of a lion’s presence there.
On social media, the incident’s video quickly gained popularity. It depicts the wildcat strolling alongside moving traffic.
The large cat entered a building’s parking lot after taking a stroll along the street and was then caged.
Before the lion was captured by the wildlife personnel, a man in a black dress was seen in the video attempting to calm it.
