In brief
Rajab Butt, a popular YouTuber in Pakistan, has been mandated by the court to produce 12 educational videos on animal welfare after being found guilty of unlawfully owning a lion cub.
The court recently ruled that Rajab Butt, a prominent YouTuber with over 5.6 million subscribers, must create a dozen animal welfare videos as a penalty for illegally keeping a lion cub. This decision comes after Mr. Butt was photographed with the cub, which he received as a gift at his wedding last month, from Umar Dolla, a fellow YouTube creator who runs the channel Lion Hub. As part of the community service sentence, Mr. Butt is required to produce one five-minute video each month for the next year to raise awareness and educate his audience about the rights of wild animals. The cub has since been relocated to the Lahore Safari Zoo, where it has been named Bhatti.In his statement, Butt expressed regret for accepting the cub, recognizing that it was inappropriate to keep wild animals in such conditions. He acknowledged his responsibility as a social media influencer to create positive content and admitted that he lacked proper authorization to own the cub. The wildlife department has been directed by the court to assist Mr. Butt in generating this educational content. The controversy began when a wildlife officer reported Mr. Butt to the authorities after seeing his wedding video that showcased the lion cub. The issue of ownership was contested by Umar Dolla, who attempted to assert that he still held legal ownership of the animal. However, the court determined that the cub had been unlawfully transferred to Mr. Butt. Tariq Janjua, the director of Lahore Safari Zoo, commented on the matter, emphasizing that lions cannot be domesticated, and keeping them as pets is both cruel to the animals and poses potential dangers to human safety.
