A Lahore court has sentenced famous YouTuber Rajab Butt to a fine of Rs 50,000 and community service for illegally keeping a lion cub.
Rajab Butt has been ordered to make videos on animal rights protection every month for a year and upload them on his social media platforms.
Judicial Magistrate Hamidur Rehman said in the decision that Rajab Butt will have to upload a five-minute video in the first week of every month, which aims to make the public aware about wildlife protection and illegal hunting. The Wildlife Department will monitor these videos.
Rajab Butt had accepted the lion cub as a gift on the occasion of his wedding, which is a violation of wildlife laws.
The Wildlife Department had registered a case for keeping the lion cub without permission and license. Rajab Butt admitted his guilt before the court and placed himself at the mercy of the court.
The court said that if the offender fails to fulfill his community service obligations, he can be sentenced to imprisonment. Rajab Butt will be given a certificate upon completion of the community service, which will mean that he has paid for his crime.
According to the court decision, the lion cub will be kept in the safari park for now, and will be allowed to remain there until further notice.
TikToker Rajab Butt said in a statement, “I admit that I illegally recovered a lion cub. I was not aware that wild animals cannot be received as gifts. Now I understand that it is inappropriate to keep wild animals in these circumstances. I regret my actions. As a social media influencer, I should create positive content.”
He added, “I was not authorized to keep the lion cub and I set a wrong example with this action. Realizing my mistake, I will voluntarily provide community service through my social media platform and send a positive message regarding the rights of wild animals. I leave myself at the mercy of the court.”