When one thinks of animals to keep, tigers and pythons usually fall way down on the list, owing to their size as well as the obvious that they are wild animals.

Hassan Hussain, however, has been pushing the boundaries for a few years now. He started by keeping pythons in his house and then bought a small farm to house the increasing number of snakes, he revealed on Sidra Iqbal’s morning show, Aaj Pakistan.

Around this time, one of the lionesses he owned also gave birth but rejected the cub. Hassan took Simba home and raised him till he started becoming too cumbersome to keep around the house. This is when Simba’s Kingdom Farmhouse was born, which is a self-proclaimed sanctuary for tigers, more specifically for golden tabby tigers.

Golden tabby tigers, also known as strawberry tigers, are born out of a genetic mutation or more specifically a recessive gene. The mutation occurs rarely in the wild, with fewer than 30 golden tabby tigers in the world.

“It took almost two to two and a half months for the approval and related processes to come through to establish the sanctuary,” Hassan said.

One must have an international wildlife import contact, a locally registered import company, as well as other documentation to prove that you can take care of the animal to obtain a NOC to keep tigers.

“You need to contact the Sindh Wildlife Department, submit relevant documentation and then they come for a site visit after which a NOC is granted from Islamabad.”

Hassan has established his farm on five acres of land just by the Super Highway. His tigers are not kept in cages and have enclosures built on international standards for the animals.

“I have tried to replicate their natural habitat as much possible and have not restricted the animals. Each tiger eats at least eight to nine kilos of meat a day.”

Hassan’s long-term goal is to increase the number of strawberry tigers. He imported the golden tabby tiger and bred it with the tiger he already owned. Two cubs were recently born in his sanctuary.

“Tigers or lions should never be kept as pets, especially in small cages. You aren’t legally allowed to keep wild animals in residential areas,” he said.