THIS is the terrifying moment a pet lion pounces on a woman and two children walking down a busy street.

CCTV footage shows the animal breaking free from its barrier before attacking three people in Lahore, Pakistan.

In dramatic footage from Thursday night, the lion is seen leaping over the barrier.

Passersby scatter in all directions at the sight of the big cat.

The lion chases a woman carrying shopping, jumps on her back and knocks her to the ground.

It then runs after two children, aged five and seven.

The lion clawed children’s arms and faces, according to a police report filed by their father.

He claimed the owners were “amused to see their lion attack” people as they came out of the house.

All three were rushed to hospital but were reportedly not in a critical condition.

The Deputy Inspector General Operations in Lahore told AFP: “The suspects fled from the spot, taking the lion with them.

“They were arrested within 12 hours of the incident.”

Police said on Friday that they had arrested three men in relation to the attacks.

The lion, an 11-month-old male, has been confiscated by police and relocated to a wildlife park.

Park officials said that the animal appears to be in good health.

Keeping exotic animals, especially big cats, as pets has long been seen as a symbol of privilege and power in Punjab, the country’s most populous province.

While it is legal to keep a lion in Lahore, it is only allowed under strict conditions.

The provincial government passed new laws regulating the ownership of big cats after an adult lion escaped from an enclosure in another neighbourhood in Lahore in December 2024.

Owners must now obtain licenses to keep these animals, and they are prohibited from keeping them in residential areas.

Breeders must pay a hefty registration fee and ensure their farms are at least 10 acres in size.

It comes as a man was mauled to death by his pet lion in southern Iraq, just days after bringing the animal home in hopes of taming it in his garden.

The victim, 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, was known locally for keeping lions and other wild animals on his property for years, according to police.