Tag: karachi zoo

  • ‘Shameful, shut down’: Celebs slam Karachi zoo after viral video circulates

    ‘Shameful, shut down’: Celebs slam Karachi zoo after viral video circulates

    Celebrities including Ahsan Khan, Shaneira Akram, Areeba Habib, Ahmed Ali Butt and Anoushey Ashraf have spoken up against the trivialising treatment of animals in Karachi Zoo.

    Due to a lack of payment from the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC), a contractor in charge of providing food to animals at the Karachi Zoo has halted all deliveries to Karachi Zoo.

    Shaneira Akram in an Instagram post wrote, “We do not deserve a zoo if ALL animals are not cared for correctly! These animals are our responsibility, they can’t talk, they can’t say I’m hungry and they can’t tell you they are in pain. We have all the space in the world in karachi, and inner city cement jungle is not good enough. If we can not provide food, water and proper enclosures that mimic natural eco habitats then we are failing not only the animals but our people.”

    Netizens also asked the city administration to take strict action against the zoo administration, Some even asked to “shut the Karachi zoo immediately.”

    In a video posted by a journalist Quatrina Hosain, a lion can be seen in a very poor condition. She tagged the City Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab in her post, asking him to take the action against those responsible.

  • VIDEO: Three deer give birth to 11 fawns at Karachi Zoo

    Three female deer have given birth to 11 fawns at Karachi Zoo, ARY News has reported. One deer gave birth to nine fawns, while two other deer gave birth to one fawn each.

    Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) officials confirmed that all fawns are doing well. In the video, one of the fawns can be seen.

    Earlier in 2019, the Karachi Zoological Gardens witnessed the birth of four fawns.

  • Karachi Zoo management denies foreign animal experts access to ‘ailing’ elephants

    Karachi Zoo management denies foreign animal experts access to ‘ailing’ elephants

    The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has allegedly denied international veterinarians and animal experts access to Karachi Zoo and Safari Park elephants Malika, Sonu, Noor Jahan and Madhubala, preventing them from receiving medical treatment.

    In a detailed post on social media, the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which identifies itself as a body “promoting compassion towards all sentient beings,” detailed the ordeal faced by the elephants and alleged that the KMC has barred international animal experts from assessing the health of the elephants and treating them accordingly.

    The animal welfare society also said that Malika’s health is in “dire straits” and requires “urgent veterinary care”.

    “Her cracked tusks, broken nails, swollen legs and urine burnt feet are a testimony to the abuse she [has] suffered,” said PAWS, adding that one of Malaika’s legs is four times the size of her other legs and she appears to be unable to properly bear weight on any of her legs.

    “When she walks, she hobbles along very slowly. The pads of her feet are cracked and have deep pits, which the Safari park management and elephant keeper claim to be ‘winter dryness’.”

    PAWS said that UK-based animal rights organisation Free The Wild (FTW) offered to help the elephants and send experts to Karachi to assess the animals’ health and devise a strategy with the authorities on how to treat them. They have also been running an online donation campaign for them so that the government does not have to bear the expenses. The campaign aims to raise $30,000 and $17,637.55 were raised till the last update i.e. March 10.

    According to PAWS, KMC management gave its verbal permission to Free the Wild and Dr Frank Goëritz and Dr Thomas Hildebrandt, two renowned elephant specialists to come and assess the animals’ health. They were scheduled to arrive in Karachi on February 23. However, the city government changed its decision last minute, denying them access.

    PAWS said that they had several rounds of meetings with KMC officials hoping to work out a solution to ease the elephants’ plight but the city government “raised objections against fundraising” claiming “that it brings a bad name to Pakistan”. PAWS also told The Current that neither the Sindh Government nor government officials have made any efforts to help the elephants and keep shutting out the animal rights body saying that “the elephants are the ‘property’ of KMC”.

    PAWS urged the federal and provincial governments as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan to help the elephants and ease their plight.

    In a statement issued by FTW, all four elephants – reportedly smuggled from Tanzania in 2009 – are held captive in small cement enclosures and chained at the feet for 15 hours a day. The wild animals are suffering from broken nails and lacerated feet due to cemented floors, ​cracked tusks and swollen legs from standing all day and not having any movement. ​

    “All four elephants are showing visible signs of psychological and physical pain and urgently need our help,” reads the statement.

    FTW further said that just as their vets were “preparing to leave Germany – with visas arranged, international flights booked, local accommodation reserved and, very importantly, medication purchased – KMC suddenly withheld their permission for the Free The Wild vets to enter the zoo and safari park.”

    Co-founder of FTW Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, while expressing her disappointment, said: “Words just cannot express how disappointed we are by the sudden lack of support. The trip was planned and even medications purchased. This is not only a major setback for the health of the elephants but also has wasted very valuable funds as the medications will expire and cannot be returned. I fail to understand why anyone bites a helping hand. This was at no cost at all to the KMC and not only would have helped these animals but also provided training for locals moving forward. I hope the petition will overcome these odd bureaucratic obstacles.”

    The animal welfare body added that “we are not going to just walk away. We [will] petition Karachi courts and requesting an urgent ruling to ensure the wellbeing of these animals.”

    Advocate Owais Awan, who was part of Kaavan’s legal team and helped him gain freedom while speaking to The Current said that they have no choice but to file a petition before the Honourable Sindh High Court (SHC). He asserted that the animals are suffering and need immediate medical care, which can only be provided by experts.

    “I was shocked to see the state of the elephants,” said Advocate Awan. “Their enclosures and conditions were even worse than Kaavan’s. He at least had some space to walk. These elephants are kept chained all day in tiny enclosures.”

    Advocate Awan explained that all four elephants are African elephants and that Pakistani vets do not have the necessary expertise to deal with their problems, adding that the team of international experts coming were not only going to check the animals but were also going to train vets and caretakers to take better care of the elephants.

    KMC responds

    Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to The Current, KMC spokesperson Ali Hassan Sajid trashed PAWS claims and said that the animals were doing fine.

    “We have a team of vets looking after them and all the elephants are being cared for,” said Hassan. This scribe requested Hassan to share pictures of the elephants. However, they were not received till the filing of this report.

    When asked about using vaseline to treat cracks in the skin – a matter which stirred outrage online – Hassan said that vaseline is applied to the animals’ toes and skin because it tends to crack up in the winters just like human skin. He said that the ointment was used to heal the dryness and proved to be very effective.

    The spokesperson also launched a tirade against the animal rights body, saying that they are using the elephants to raise donations and collect money.

    “Chanda akhata kar rahe hain yeh log sirf,” said Hassan, alleging that the body has raised $30,000 by deceiving people.

    Sajid further said that PAWS was bringing a bad name to Pakistan with its fundraising campaign and giving out a message to the world that Pakistan cannot care for its animals.

    The official also said that KMC’s legal department is working towards launching an official complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against PAWS for bringing a bad name to Pakistan.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat calls for zoos to be shut down

    Earlier, in December 2020, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered KMC and Karachi Zoo administration to shift the 20-year-old Syrian brown bear Rano from her 25-foot wide Victorian ‘grotto’ pit to another open cage, 500 times bigger than her current enclosure. During the hearings, the court had also instructed KMC to present the zoo’s budget and had expressed anger over the fact that there was only one doctor for all animals at the zoo.

    Zoos in Pakistan have long drawn international condemnation for their mistreatment of animals. Last year, on December 16, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo was shut down after the Islamabad High Court ordered for Kaavan, the elephant and two brown bears Babloo and Suzie to be relocated to sanctuaries abroad.

  • Sindh High Court orders for Rano to be moved to an open cage

    Sindh High Court orders for Rano to be moved to an open cage

    The Sindh High Court has ordered the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Karachi Zoo administration to shift Rano from her 25-foot wide Victorian ‘grotto’ pit to another open cage, reportedly 500 times bigger than her current enclosure.

    According to a report in Samaa News, the court ordered authorities to immediately shift the 20-year-old Syrian brown bear, who has been living a solitary life for the last three years. The instructions, recommended by a five-member team formed to evaluate the condition of the bear and the zoo, were passed on an interim basis until a final decision is taken.

    It has been reported that the new cage is spread over 2,100 square feet and is on ground level, unlike her previous enclosure which was an underground pit. However, it too requires some improvisations.

    Rano’s plight had sparked nationwide protests in the summer following which 38 people signed a petition filed in the Sindh High Court by Barrister Mohsin Shahwani on October 1, 2020. In the application, the petitioners had highlighted the animal’s plight and had alleged that the bear was not being well taken care of and was not being fed on time. The petition has demanded Rano be sent back to Skardu so that she can be among her own.

    Read more – Celebrities express outrage over condition of brown bear in Karachi Zoo

    In the successive hearing on October 5, the court had instructed KMC to install an air-cooler inside Rano’s enclosure to provide her some relief. It also ordered authorities to present the zoo’s budget and details of details, expressing anger over the fact that there was only one doctor for all animals at the zoo.

    According to animal experts, Rano is suffering from emotional and psychological distress which is why she is often seen panting heavily and roaming in circles. The Society for the Protection of Animal Rights (SPAR) is hopeful that Rano, in her new temporary cage, is able to move around easily, explore and play with items of an enrichment program, be able to see zoo activities, birds, trees and other animals and have a less lonely, stressed life.

    Islamabad zoo shuts down

    Meanwhile, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo — which drew international condemnation for its treatment of lonely elephant Kaavan — shut down on December 16 after its final occupants Babloo and Suzie were relocated to a sanctuary inJordan.

    As per details, the Himalayan brown bears suffer from psychological problems due to living in a substandard enclosure, with the female Suzie undergoing major surgery in the summer after a tumour was removed from her chest. Local vets were unable to stitch up seven inches open cut in the centre of her chest and she developed an infection. Four Paws vets, who arrived in August, operated on Suzie again and cleaned the infected wound. This was also the reason why sanctuaries within Pakistan refused to take them in.

    “She is now recovering and healthy. Both bears are doing well physically now that we have put them on a better nutritional diet of fruits and vegetables. Suzie had diarrhoea all the time because she was mostly fed milk,” a spokesperson for Four Paws, Marion Lombard had told local media outlets.

    Several celebrities including Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mehwish Hayat have called for zoos across the country to be shut down given the mistreatment of animals there.

  • Celebrities express outrage over condition of brown bear in Karachi Zoo

    Celebrities express outrage over condition of brown bear in Karachi Zoo

    Just when we breathed a sigh of relief after it emerged that Islamabad Zoo’s lone elephant Kavaan will soon head to Cambodia, where he will retire at an animal sanctuary, videos and pictures of a brown bear in dreadful conditions at the Karachi Zoo have sparked furor and outrage on social media. Celebrities including Ushna Shah, Armeena Khan and Mashal Khan expressed their distress over the condition of the bear and urged authorities to shut down the zoo.

    In a message penned in Urdu, Ushna said that zoo culture should be completely eliminated and that citizens should actively campaign for them to be shut down.

    “If you like looking at animals, go observe them in their natural habitat. When you come and look at them in zoos, you add to their agony”, said the actor.

    “Raise your voice for those who can’t speak,” she added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFqZ11hhKDw/

    Armeena urged her followers to help the brown bear or else he would die.

    Mashal Khan said that she is “sick to my stomach after learning of this poor baby in Karachi zoo, being jailed without food, water, health care”. She asked her followers to raise their voice for the bear and help end her ordeal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpMZ1yA2s2/

    Later, the actor shared that she and her friends are filing a Constitutional Petition in the Sindh High Court to rescue the baby bear and have her transferred to Skardu where she can be reunited with her family.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFrSJyBgPe0/

    Meanwhile, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Administrator Dr Iftikhar Ali Shallwani slammed the claims and said that the bear is “hale and hearty” at the zoo. Sharing a video of the bear playing in his enclosure as well as a report on its condition, Dr Shallwani said: “The KMC is trying it’s best to give natural habitat to the animals at Karachi Zoo.”

    https://twitter.com/Shallwani/status/1311036764744802304?s=20

    However, reports have suggested that all is not well as the administrator has claimed. According to a senior Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) official, the bear is not used to living in Karachi’s hot weather conditions, especially during this time of the year when it needs to hibernate in freezing temperature.

    Another SWD official said that Karachi Zoo’s management was responsible for the bear’s dreadful condition. He said that the animal does not belong in the zoo and that she needed to be kept in an air-conditioned room, in darkness.

    After the pictures of the bear went viral on social media, a picture of a malnourished and underfed lion was also widely circulated with people criticising the Karachi Zoo administration for mistreating animals.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFuxCefnd6s/

    However, it later emerged that the picture of the lion was not from Karachi Zoo.

    Last week Feroze Khan had also posted pictures of Karachi Zoo’s dilapidated conditions and had questioned where his taxes were going.

  • VIDEO: White lion attacks zookeeper at Karachi Zoo

    A white lion attacked a zookeeper when he was feeding the big cat from the front side of its cage at the Karachi Zoological Gardens on Monday.

    Kannu Piraditta, who is the keeper of lions, tigers, and chimpanzees at Karachi Zoo, was attacked by a white lion from inside the cage. 

    The zookeeper was giving the meat to the lion and lioness when the lion caught hold of his hand and attacked him.

    The video which went viral on social media shows the man screaming as the lion clutches his hand. Other employees of the zoo did not intervene to help him.

    Eventually, the injured keeper was able to free himself from the lion’s grip. The zookeeper was seen leaving with bloodstained left arm amid screams and shouts of the visitors apparently to divert the attention of the lion.

    As per reports, the keeper has been shifted to the hospital, where his condition is said to be stable. While people are calling out the zoo administration for ensuring the staff’s safety, the zoo director has held the keeper responsible for the incident, alleging that the zookeeper had violated the defined rules while feeding the big cat from the front side of the cage.

    The director added that the Karachi mayor has taken notice of the incident and will order an inquiry into the matter once he resumes duty.