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For the up-and-coming businessman or celebrity wanting to signal their status, a flash car, trophy spouse or huge house are no longer enough. The standout possession of today is a pet lion, claims the wealthy entrepreneur as he washes his playful cub with the jet from a hose pipe.

“If one lives in Pakistan and wants to be famous, he must have a lion, which can earn him the top level of fame,” says the man at his home in an affluent area of Karachi.

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A fashion that arrived a few years ago in the Punjabi capital of Lahore has now gripped Pakistan’s commercial hub, he claims.

“The wealthy people in Karachi took inspiration and today there are several farmhouses and big villas where one may find lions,” said the owner, who declined to be named.

“The lions have taken the place of other pet animals. I have seen a major surge and several people I know have purchased lions.”

Such a passion for big cats as pets is not new, and far from restricted to Pakistan. But conservationists warn that the trend appears to be growing across the Middle East and Europe, with the fashion partly driven by owners showing off their big pets and ostentatious lifestyles on social media.