Tag: Islamabad Zoo

  • FIR registered against those involved in setting fire to lions cage at Islamabad Zoo

    FIR registered against those involved in setting fire to lions cage at Islamabad Zoo

    Following the death of two lions – a male and female – at the Islamabad Zoo, DIG Operations Islamabad announced that an FIR (first information report) has been registered against those who set fire to the cage. According to details, the lions were injured due to mismanagement of caretakers who were trying to force them out of the cage by igniting a fire in their cage.

    https://twitter.com/DigIslamabad/status/1288902662960713728?s=20

    Advisor to the Prime Minister for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam also expressed his shock over the matter and said that an emergency meeting of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has been called to discuss the issue.

    Read more – Kaavan to be relocated to Cambodia

    In a video doing the rounds on social media, caretakers can be seen lighting a fire inside the cage in an attempt to force the lions to move out. Their act disturbed the lion, who is seen roaring and moving frantically inside the small cage full of fire and smoke. As a result of this, the animal sustained severe injuries and suffocation. Reports also stated that the lion was beaten with sticks. The lion was later shifted to a veterinary hospital where he succumbed to the injuries. Officials claim that the ill-trained caretakers did not belong to the zoo or Islamabad Wildlife Management Board but were sent to facilitate the lion’s transfer.

    However, IWMB Chairman Dr Anis Rehman while speaking to AFP discarded the initial reports and said that the lioness died in Islamabad while the lion died after reaching Lahore, clarifying that the lions did not die because of fire.

    “We are waiting for the postmortem,” Rehman said.

    Meanwhile, earlier a nine-year-old female lion from Marghazar Zoo died while being moved to a lion sanctuary in Lahore. A male lion who was transferred with her is reportedly seriously ill. He is being looked after by veterinarians at the Mohiuddin Private Breeding Farm on Ganda Singh Road in Lahore.

    IWMB Chairman Dr Anis Rehman said the lion possibly passed away “due to travel stress” while being relocated. The lions were moved at night between July 26 and July 27.

    Dr Rehman explained that the process of shifting animals in cages causes them stress. In addition to this, weather conditions are also not favourable for the animals. According to reports, officials at the Ministry of Climate Change said that it was not advised to shift the animals in this hot and humid weather.

    The death of the lions sparked outrage once again and social media users demanded action to be taken against those involved in their deaths.

    Friends of Islamabad Zoo, who have been actively campaigning against the inhumane conditions at Islamabad Zoo, expressed their grief at the “unbearable loss of animal life that has occurred due to mismanagement and unqualified employees”. They also condemned “this gross lack of oversight”.

    https://twitter.com/IsbZooFriends/status/1288782740305911810?s=20
    https://twitter.com/IsbZooFriends/status/1288783071643406338?s=20

    WWF-Pakistan also condemned the incident and hoped that those responsible are taken to task. They also said that “WWF-Pakistan has also stepped down from the Board of the IWMB” in protest.

    Unfortunately, the lions are not the only ones to die. According to Dawn, a female hog deer also died while being relocated. Dr Rehman said a male hog deer hit the female, wounding her, and she died during the journey to a sanctuary. Two ostriches, several exotic pheasants, two spotted deer, two elks, one Indian gazelle and a Belgian Blue cow have also reported having died en route. Animals at the Islamabad Zoo are being relocated to temporary sanctuaries after the Islamabad High Court ruled that the zoo is not fit enough for them and lacks the necessary facilities.

  • Kaavan to be relocated to Cambodia

    Kaavan to be relocated to Cambodia

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday approved the relocation of Islamabad Zoo’s lone elephant Kaavan to Cambodia. The court had ordered Kaavan’s freedom in May and instructed wildlife officials to find him a “suitable sanctuary”.

    According to AFP, Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said authorities would “ensure that he lives a happy life”. He revealed that a team from Cambodia is coming over to take the 36-year-old elephant with them.

    “We are bidding Kaavan farewell with a heavy heart. It is a sad decision,” he said.

    Amin also shared that he had discussed Kaavan’s plight with Prime Minister Imran Khan and it had been decided that a safari zoo will be built in Islamabad.

    Authorities told the court that an expert committee had recommended he be moved to a 25,000-acre wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia for retirement.

    Kaavan was kept in chains at Islamabad Zoo and exhibited symptoms of mental illness, prompting global outrage over his treatment and a petition demanding his release that garnered over 400,000 signatures.

    Though zoo officials have denied this and claimed that he was pining for a new mate after his partner died in 2012, Kaavan’s behaviour — including signs of distress such as bobbing his head repeatedly — demonstrated “a kind of mental illness”.

    Activists also said Kaavan was not properly sheltered from Islamabad’s searing summer temperatures, which can rise above 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).

    Kaavan’s plight drew the attention of Cher, who spent years calling for his freedom.

    She tweeted in May that the court’s decision to order his release was “one of the greatest moments of my life”.

    Read more – Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Arriving in Pakistan as a one-year-old in 1985 from Sri Lanka, Kaavan was temporarily held in chains in 2002 because zookeepers were concerned about increasingly violent tendencies. He was freed later that year after an outcry but it emerged in 2015 that he was once more being regularly chained for several hours each day.

    The court’s May ruling also ordered dozens of other animals — including brown bears, lions and birds — to be relocated temporarily till the zoo improves its standards.

  • Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Following the landmark judgement which directed the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad to shift all animals, including Kaavan the elephant to wildlife sanctuaries, American pop singer Cher took to social media to thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for “making her dream come true”. Cher added that she was always a big fan of PM Khan since his cricketing days.

    In a series of tweets, the singer not only thanked PM Khan but also various ministers for their efforts.

    Late last month, the Islamabad High Court, had ordered wildlife officials to consult with Sri Lanka to find Kaavan a “suitable sanctuary” within 30 days.

    Kaavan, an Asian elephant from Sri Lanka, has spent nearly three decades in a small cage in the zoo. His treatment and condition sparked international outrage several years ago and caught the attention of Cher, who then propagated for his release. The elephant’s behaviour, including bobbing his head repeatedly, demonstrated “a kind of mental illness” and wildlife experts were of the opinion that he was depressed.

    It is pertinent to add here that PM Khan had also raised his voice for Kaavan back in 2015 and had said that the animal belonged in “a proper sanctuary, not ill-equipped Islamabad Zoo”.

  • American singer Cher thanks Pakistani govt for freeing lonely elephant Kaavan

    American singer Cher thanks Pakistani govt for freeing lonely elephant Kaavan

    The Islamabad High Court has ordered the Islamabad Zoo to move all animals, including their famed elephant Kaavan, to an animal sanctuary within 30 days because it lacks the basic facilities for their proper care and upkeep.

    https://twitter.com/IsbZooFriends/status/1263420894866821120?s=20

    In a judgement, they ordered wildlife officials to consult with Sri Lanka to find Kaavan a “suitable sanctuary” within 30 days.

    The condition and treatment of Kaavan, an Asian elephant from Sri Lanka, who had spent nearly three decades without a female partner in a small cage in the zoo had gathered international outrage several years ago.

    The elephant’s behaviour, including bobbing his head repeatedly, demonstrated “a kind of mental illness” and wildlife experts were of the opinion that he was depressed.

    Apart from not having a partner, activists said he had insufficient shelter from Islamabad’s searing summer temperatures, which can rise to above 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).

    Asian elephants can roam thousands of kilometres through deep tropical and subtropical forests, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In contrast, Kaavan’s 90 by 140 metre (100 by 150 yard) pen had almost no foliage, and only limited shade was provided.

    Read more – Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    It was also reported that food which was meant for Kaavan was being stolen by his caretakers. Last year, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had also alleged that chickens meant to feed lions at the zoo were being cooked in the home of the zoo director.

    Arriving as a one-year-old in 1985 from Sri Lanka, Kaavan was temporarily held in chains in 2002 because zookeepers were concerned about increasingly violent tendencies, but he was freed later that year after an outcry.

    His mate Saheli, who arrived also from Sri Lanka in 1990, died in 2012, and in 2015 it emerged that Kaavan was regularly being chained once more — for several hours a day.

    Kavaan’s misery caught the attention of American music icon and actor, Cher, who had long propagated for his release. After the news of Kavaan’s release emerged, she took to social media to express her joy and thank the Government of Pakistan.

    Cher also referred to this as “one of the greatest moments of her life”.

    IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, during the hearings, had blasted the Marghazar Zoo for lack of necessities and has asked that all the animals be moved to an animal sanctuary. The Islamabad Zoo will be allowed to keep animals only after they are capable of providing physical, psychological and emotional needs to the animals.