A video and multiple images have sparked outrage among animal rights organisations for using a sedated lion cub as a prop for a wedding shoot.
According to the Independent, the footage and images were posted on the Instagram of Studio Afzl, a Lahore-based photography studio but have since been deleted.
@PunjabWildlife does your permit allow for a lion cub to be rented out for ceremonies?Look at this poor cub sedated and being used as a prop.This studio is in Lahore where this cub is being kept.Rescue him please pic.twitter.com/fMcqZnoRMd
— save the wild (@wildpakistan) March 7, 2021
The video was accompanied by the hashtag #SherdiRani (Lioness Queen) to emphasize the cub’s presence. It was reposted by Save The Wild, a Pakistani wildlife organisation, calling for intervention by the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department.
JFK Animal Rescue and Shelter reposted a photo from the shoot, accusing the studio of keeping the cub on its premises.
"The studio's management told us that the lion cub was brought [to the studio] by a friend of theirs that owned it, and according to them it was a plain coincidence that the couple was also present, so they decided to take a few pictures with the lion cub," Zulfishan Anushay, the founder of JFK, told the independent.
The post also explained how possessing a wild animal in Pakistan is not illegal if one has a license.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
