For the Pakistani elite, importing exotic wildlife animals like white lions is a way to flex their wealth. They keep doing it and getting away with it because the laws to import such animals are super chill, and what’s scarier is that once these animals are brought into the country, regulations on how to treat them are tossed to the wind.

In a recent interview with AFP, a 29-year old Karachi-based industrialist Bilal Mansoor Khawaja showed off his cat collection, an animal exhibition featuring over 800 species. He insists it is his love for animals that has led him to build this personal petting zoo. This guy’s nine-acre property also plays host to zebras, flamingos, and horses, and is housed in a neighbourhood right in the middle of the city.

However, the big cat species has historically been a symbol of power and wealth, especially when it comes to Pakistani politics. The title Sher-e-Punjab ( ‘sher’ translates to ‘lion’) is bestowed upon powerful politicians as a sign of respect.

Over 300 lions are estimated to be lurking around gardens, rooftop cages and farmhouses in the city of Karachi itself. The problem is that these pets kinda aren’t meant for the hustle of city life. So, when their owners casually take them for walks or drives in their SUVs, it causes quite the panic and has led to arrests over the last few years.

However, owners like Khawaja shrug off the issue by saying, “We Pakistanis have a problem: where our heart is soft, it’s very soft. Where it’s hard, it’s very hard”.

These animals are easily available and can be found through Facebook groups or local dealers. For a sum of about Rs 1.4 million ($8,980), expert exporters can deliver a white lion to a client within 48 hours, and the process is totally legal. These cats come certified from their country of origin and the authorities provide permits in accordance with an international treaty in Pakistan that allows the country to protect endangered species. But there’s a bigger problem arising: some breeders are ‘lion farming’ to make these animals more easily available in the country. And while the law provides for fierce protection of any imported species, it’s “silent on breeding,” says Javed Mahar, head of Sindh province’s wildlife department. And this has led to an attitude of neglect that threatens an already endangered species.

Traders peddle body parts of these lions too. Lion fat is used in medicine to relieve muscular and joint pain, while a lion claw is sold for Rs. 35,000 and lion nails go for Rs 8,000.

Now, wildlife conservationists are concerned that those keeping these animals in captivity aren’t properly taking care of them. Veterinary surgeon Isma Gheewala told AFP that lions suffering from calcium deficiencies are frequently brought to her clinic in Karachi, where she claims to have treated between 100 to 150 big cats over the years. “The bones become extremely brittle,” she says. “And even if they jump like a foot down, they will injure some bone or the other and then it takes a long time for the animals to recover.”

“An animal in captivity is not the way it is in the wild,” says Uzma Khan, a wildlife conservationist working with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). “What’s the point of having an animal which is not hunting, which is in a cage not showing its natural behaviour?”

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