Video of lioness on bakkie ride goes viral

A PAKISTANI man who took his pet lioness for a ride in the back of a pickup truck was charged with public harassment yesterday after footage from startled bystanders went viral.

In the video posted on social media, the big cat reclines in the bed of the truck, a paw lolling over the ledge and seemingly unfazed by the heavy traffic inching through a chaotic street in the city of Karachi.

Pedestrians jostling through the cars stumble into clawing range, but the lion – which is wearing a collar and a leash held by a man in the vehicle – just yawns.

Police said Saqlain Javed, 30, a pet dealer, had been arrested after a concerned citizen made a complaint.

Javed, however, said he had been taking the animal to the vet and had all the required permits and documentation.

“We have freed [him] on bail, but registered a case of negligent conduct with an animal,” police spokesman Muqadas Haider said.

In the video, a woman can be heard asking: “Who will take responsibility if something were to happen?” and wondering whether the animal was an endangered breed.

The clip has been viewed more than a million times on Facebook, where people criticised the owner for cruelty and suggested he was showing off his wealth.

Others decried the general lawlessness in the fast-growing country of 200 million where, despite recent economic and security gains, the rich and powerful commit crimes with impunity.