African lioness named Rani, or Queen, sits with her newly born five cubs at the house of her owner who has grown her as a pet, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Multan, Pakistan. The African lioness has given birth to five healthy cubs. Lions normally have litters of two or three cubs. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)
Republished March 26, 2015 - 8:08 AM
Original Publication Date March 26, 2015 - 7:30 AM
MULTAN, Pakistan - It's a baby boom for the owner of a pet lioness in central Pakistan.
The African lioness named Queen has given birth to five healthy cubs. Lions normally have litters of two or three cubs.
Owner Malik Fazal Abbas said he has had 4-year-old Queen since she was 2 months old. She mated with a male lion that Abbas also keeps at his home in the city of Multan.
Abbas, who is a cotton and mango grower, says he has a license from the Pakistani Wildlife Department to keep lions as pets.
There are other cases of wildlife kept as pets in Pakistan. The tiger is a symbol of the ruling party of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and some supporters keep tigers that they bring out during election campaigns.
News from © The Associated Press, 2015