Daily Times

Sir: I am writing this letter because I would like to recommend to Shahid Afridi that he get rid of his lion, and get a Labrador retriever instead. If he gets a yellow Labrador, and gets him a wig, he may not even miss his lion too much.

On a more serious note, I must say that keeping wild animals as pets is animal cruelty, and places human beings, including your family and neighbours, at risk. A lion is not an animal that can be tamed like a dog. It has instincts that domestic animals do not have, and sooner or later, he will act on this instincts. Ultimately however, it is the poor animal that suffers the most.

Shahid Afridi is a Pakistani celebrity in the public eye, and therefore he should make more responsible decisions. Soon enough, all of his fans will be dreaming of keeping lions and tigers as pets. There is also a particular political party in Pakistan that has encouraged such actions. As a country, we must understand that wild animals must be respected. Shahid Afridi should immediately hand the lion over to a facility that is capable of caring for it and providing it with the kind of habitat lions need.

ISHAQUE MALIK

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, June 13^th 2018.