A Pakistani influencer has sparked outrage by using a chained, sedated lion as a gimmick for her plush birthday bash.

Images of Susan Khan’s birthday party in the city of Lahore in the Pakistani province of Punjab were widely shared on social media by the animal rights group ‘Project Save Animals’.

During the party, Khan as can be seen in the images had a lion present at the venue that was reportedly both sedated and chained.

The footage shows the big cat lying on furniture, while surrounded by people in a large venue playing loud music.

In one clip, Khan is seen petting the sedated lion in the club before smiling and returning to pals.

Project Save Animals said: “Lions were shackled left and right and paraded as if they were a new decoration piece, which they’re not, obviously.

“Why do we tend to forget that these are living, breathing beings that have the capacity to feel just like us?”

In a different post, the group said: “This Lion has been sedated, shackled and is being pulled back and forth just for this woman’s pleasure. The seemingly insatiable desire for likes, clicks and shares on social media means that people are going to extreme lengths for the perfect selfie, often endangering themselves and the animals they so desperately want to capture in that envy-inducing image. This is clearly unjust.”

Following an online backlash at the lion as a party prop, animal rescuer Syed Hassan agreed that the lion appeared to be sedated, adding that it had also been “declawed”.

Hassan, the founder of Project Save Animals, has launched a petition to end animals being used as entertainment props.

In March, a couple from Lahore also sparked outrage for using a sedated lion cub for a wedding photoshoot. Animal activists called for the couple to be punished, but no action was taken.