A TikTok video captured at a private wildlife farm in Lahore, Pakistan, ended in tragedy after a lioness attacked and slayed a 19-year-old farm worker.
The young man, identified in reports as Talha, was called over to film content with the big cat after a TikToker arrived at the property.
However, the animal allegedly became uncontrollable after being let out of its cage.
Highlights
- A 19-year-old farm worker identified in reports as Talha was fatally attacked by a lioness.
- TikToker Nouman Hassan allegedly brought the lioness out of its cage to film content and asked the worker to join him.
- Authorities are investigating whether the farm had the required wildlife permits and whether safety regulations were followed.
The teenager was rushed to a private hospital but later passed away from his injuries.
Police have since arrested the farm's owner and the content creator as they investigate what happened.
The incident has also sparked anger online, with one person reminding others that “lions aren't stage props.”
A 19-year-old farm worker lost his life after a lioness was let out for a TikTok video
The fatal incident took place at around 5 p.m. on November 11 at a private wildlife farm in Kahna, Lahore.
According to reports, the 19-year-old employee was working at the property when TikToker Nouman Hassan arrived to film a video with the lioness.
Hassan, who reportedly has around 928,000 followers on TikTok and 2.5 million on Instagram, is known for posting videos featuring big cats.
According to a police complaint cited by the BBC, Hassan allegedly asked the farm worker to join him for the video. He then took the lioness out of its cage and began filming.
However, the situation quickly turned dangerous when the animal reportedly became erratic and attacked the teenager. Talha suffered critical injuries and was taken to a private hospital, where he later passed away.
His father and brother, who also worked at the farm, reportedly witnessed the attack.
Reports have identified the victim as both Talha and Taha. His father, Munir Ahmed, was named in the police complaint.
After the accident, police arrested the TikToker and the farm owner
Following the teenager's passing, Kahna police arrested Hassan and the farm's owner, identified in reports as Fayyaz. Police also reportedly arrested a third individual in connection with the incident.
Police also sealed the facility and took the lioness away from the property. Wildlife authorities took the animal into custody.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, November 12, Lahore Police said the lioness had become “out of control in the presence of the TikToker, who had come to the farmhouse to make a TikTok video.”
The statement added that the farm employee had been “critically injured” and “later died while receiving treatment.”
Police also alleged that someone initially tried to conceal what had happened by claiming a dog had attacked the teenager.
A Lahore Police spokesperson stressed that making social media content could never justify risking someone's life.
“A passion for TikTok cannot be more important than a human life,” the spokesperson told The Independent on Friday, November 13.
“No one can be allowed to put human life at risk in the name of a hobby or entertainment. The attempt to hide the facts and every aspect of negligence will be investigated,” they added.
Authorities are also investigating whether the farm followed wildlife safety rules
Police are now looking into whether the farm had the required permit to keep the lioness and whether staff handled the animal according to safety regulations.
Keeping big cats such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, pumas, and jaguars as private animals is legal in Pakistan under certain conditions. Owners must register the animals and follow the relevant wildlife rules.
However, Punjab wildlife laws restrict keeping big cats outside licensed facilities and require them to be kept away from city limits.
Police are investigating whether the farm complied with these requirements and whether anyone was negligent in allowing the lioness out of its enclosure.
The incident has also raised questions about the safety arrangements at private wildlife farms, particularly when visitors come to film content with dangerous animals.
For now, the investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not announced the outcome of their checks into the farm's permit or the people involved.
Hassan's social media accounts reportedly feature numerous videos of him around large wild animals. Some clips show him interacting closely with big cats and even roughhousing with them.
His online content has attracted a large following, but the latest incident has brought renewed attention to the risks of treating wild animals as props for social media videos.
The Lahore attack was not the first recent incident involving privately kept big cats in the region
In January, an eight-year-old boy reportedly lost an arm after a pet lion attacked him at a private breeding farm in Lahore's Sabzazar area. In another incident, a girl was injured when a lion being transported on a rickshaw escaped.
Authorities had also launched a crackdown on the illegal keeping of lions as pets following an earlier incident in Lahore. A lion escaped and injured a woman and her two children.
These cases have raised concerns about how privately owned wild animals are housed, transported, and handled.
News of the teenager's passing has sparked strong reactions online.
Many people criticized the decision to take a lioness out of its cage for a social media video, while others questioned the growing pressure to create attention-grabbing content.
One person commented, “That tiger didn’t go crazy; that tiger went tiger.”
Another wrote, “TikTok generation.”
A third expressed sympathy for the victim while warning others about the risks, saying, “RIP brave TikToker, but let this be a lesson to others: play stupid games, win stupid prizes!”
"Why would you do something that stupid?" questioned one netizen
