Video shows lion cub on joy ride with motorists; ‘Extremely wrong’

Footage shows the young lion in the back seat of a vehicle with its head out of the window on a busy Pakistan street.

Footage showing a lion cub riding in the back seat of a vehicle on a busy Pakistan street has garnered thousands of views and stirred plenty of anger.

The accompanying clips were featured on Instagram this week by Umbreen Ibrahim Photography.

The first clip, playing to “The Lion King” tune, Hakuna Matata, shows the lion with its head out of a window as the vehicle is moving. The lion appears content, but viewers can see that it wears a chain leash.

The second clip shows other motorists’ reaction to the lion as the vehicle is stopped at a red light. One asks about the lion’s name and receives the answer, “Mufasa.”

The Hindustan Times picked out the following comments for its story about the “shocking” video:

–An individual wrote, “Extremely wrong!”

–A second shared, “How can they do this, really sad. He deserves to have a family in the forest. Spare him.”

–“How is this even allowed?” posted another.

–A fourth commented, “How innocent is this child? Innocent poor soul.”

It’s unclear if lion is a pet or if it was being delivered somewhere. But what is clear is that Mufasa appears resigned to a life of captivity.

–Image courtesy of Umbreen Ibrahim Photography