A Pakistani YouTuber has been ordered to make an animal welfare video for owning a lion

A Pakistani YouTube star has been ordered to make 12 animal welfare videos as punishment for illegally owning a lion cub.

Rajab Butt, who has 5.6 million subscribers, was photographed with the cub after being given one at his wedding last month by the owner of another YouTube channel.

Under the community service order, Mr Bath was ordered to produce a five-minute video every month for a year to educate his audience.

The authorities took the cub to the Lahore Safari Zoo and named it Bhati.

In a statement, Mr Butt said he regretted taking in the cub and admitted it was “not appropriate to keep wild animals in such conditions”.

“As a social media influencer, I have to create positive content. I had no right to hold the lion cub and by doing so I set the wrong example,” he added.

The court also ordered the wildlife department to help Mr Bath prepare his educational content.

A wildlife officer reported Mr Bath to police after he saw a video he posted on his YouTube channel last month of him hosting the cub at his wedding.

It was given to him in a cage by Umar Dola, who runs another YouTube channel called Lion Hub.

Mr Dolla argued in court that he was still the legal owner of the animal. However, a judge ruled that it was confiscated by Butt, according to local media.

Mr Butt said he would “provide community service through his social media platforms and spread a positive message about wildlife rights”.

Tariq Janjua, director of the Lahore Safari Zoo, told local media that the lions were impossible to tame and their housing was both cruel to the animals and dangerous to humans.