Dawn Images

Imran Abbas faced a lot of backlash after a picture of him with a lion went viral.

Several animal rights activists and fans were disappointed with the actor's post, questioning why a wild animal is being kept in captivity.

The actor immediately took to Instagram to clarify that Simba, the lion, was not an exotic pet but a rescue who became attached to the owner.

According to Abbas, "This lion was rescued and saved when he was a 3 months old cub. He is not caged or malnutritioned. He is kept in a natural habitat at a farm house and was taken to this house only for a day."

"He loves human beings and can not be sent back to jungle since he feels more comfortable with the owner and cant survive without him."

He added, "Thanks to all you for the concern but Simba is well taken care of and a super pampered lion who is well bred and not on drugs."

Looks like it's a Born Free situation, but while we commend the person who rescued this lion, we wonder why it was raised so domesticated and the person is still referred to as the owner.