Man Raises 13-Month-Old Lion in Ninth-Floor Apartment in Kabul

A resident of Kabul has revealed that he is keeping a 13-month-old male lion in his residential apartment, a rare occurrence that has attracted significant attention on social media and among citizens.

Sohrab Niazi, a 40-year-old building contractor, lives on the ninth floor of a residential complex in Kabul. He is a father of five children and describes the lion as his sixth child, spending time with it every day before leaving the house.

According to Niazi, the lion was purchased from a seller in Pakistan when it was only one month old and brought to Kabul. He named the animal “Max” and says that initially, its size was comparable to that of a cat, but now it weighs around 100 kilograms and measures 190 centimeters in length.

For the first five months, Max was kept inside Niazi’s room and slept on mattresses and sofas within the apartment. After the lion grew larger, Niazi built an iron room with washing facilities and a play area for Max in the apartment’s courtyard.

Keeping wild animals in residential areas, especially in high-rise buildings, raises questions about the safety of residents and the responsibilities of relevant authorities; however, no official response has yet been issued by the responsible offices in Kabul regarding this matter.