A Pakistani YouTube personality has been instructed to create 12 animal welfare videos as a consequence of unlawfully possessing a lion cub.
Rajab Butt, boasting 5.6 million subscribers, was photographed with the cub given to him at his wedding last month by the owner of another YouTube channel.
As part of his community service sentence, Mr. Butt must produce a monthly five-minute educational video for a year to enlighten his viewers.
The cub has been relocated to Lahore Safari Zoo and presented with the name Bhatti.
In a statement, Mr. Butt expressed regret for accepting the cub, recognizing that "keeping wild animals in such conditions is inappropriate."
He added, "As a social media influencer, I am obligated to create positive content. Keeping the lion cub without authorization was a mistake, setting a wrong example."
Additionally, the court directed wildlife authorities to assist Mr. Butt in developing his educational content.
A wildlife officer reported Mr. Butt to the police after viewing a video on his YouTube channel showing the cub being received at his wedding.
The cub was handed over in a cage by Umar Dolla, who operates the Lion Hub YouTube channel.
Although Mr. Dolla asserted to the court that he remained the cub's legal owner, the judge ruled that it had been taken by Butt, according to local media accounts.
Mr. Butt expressed his commitment to "perform community service through my social media platforms, promoting a positive message concerning the welfare of wild animals."
Tariq Janjua, director of Lahore Safari Zoo, highlighted in local media that lions cannot be domesticated and that keeping them is both harmful to the animals and poses risks to humans.