Days after two separate lion attacks in Lahore left at least two children injured, Punjab (CM) Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered the revocation of all permits for keeping big cats as pets in the province.

One of the incidents involved an eight-year-old boy, Wajid Ali, who was attacked by a pet lion in the provincial capital’s Sabzazar area. Police said the child went near the lion’s cage while playing when the animal attacked him.

Due to inadequate enclosure arrangements and alleged negligence of the owner, the lion chewed off the boy’s arm. Authorities said the owner attempted to keep the incident under wraps and misled officials by claiming the injury occurred when the child’s arm was caught in some machine. 

Doctors later amputated the child’s arm to save his life because of the severity of the injuries.

Separately, a pet lioness attacked an eight-year-old girl in Lahore’s Bhekewal Pind area, leaving her seriously injured. Police said the animal was being transported by its owner in an auto-rickshaw when it became agitated, broke free and attacked the girl.

“Following such incidents, CM Maryam Nawaz on Monday decided to revoke the legal permission to keep pet lions across the province,” the Punjab government said in a statement.

The provincial chief executive also directed authorities to provide Wajid with a modern bionic arm.

Police said both the owners were arrested and first information reports (FIRs) were registered against them.

According to the provincial government, 59 big cats have so far been seized from different parts of Punjab, while 10 suspects have been arrested for violating standard operating procedures related to the housing of such animals.