Tag: lahore zoo

  • ‘Saddening’: Zulfiqar Bhutto tells international wildlife activists to stop the hate on Noor Jehan issue

    Ever since the poor condition of animals at Karachi Zoo, particularly the ailing elephant Noor Jehan, has gone viral on social media, local and international wildlife activists have slammed authorities for neglecting their charges.

    Several international activists have criticized Pakistani authorities for failing to care for Noor Jehan, sharing clips of the elephant lying on the ground. However, some tweets by international activists have ventured into the realm of racism.

    Wildlife activist and artist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed international criticism in an Instagram post, reminding critics that despite government negligence, corruption and limited facilities, it was Pakistanis who stepped up to provide resources and raised calls to shut down the zoo and provide treatment for Noor Jehan.

    “In a country as poor as ours – many have poured their hearts and soul into caring for Noor Jehan. Doctors from Agha Khan are attending to her wounds as we speak. Their first non-human patient. Yes she was cruelly neglected like many of the animals in the zoo are now. But it was Pakistanis who highlighted their suffering. Form Paw Pakistan to local activists. It was Pakistanis who advocated for the animals in the zoo.

    Don’t blame the mahoots who are also victims of a cruel hierarchy. Don’t blame the volunteers staying up day in and day out – sacrificing the time they could be spending with their own families.”

  • ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    Actor Hamza Ali Abbas has joined the chorus of voices calling for zoos across Pakistan to be shut down. As the country watches veterinarians try to save the life of one of Karachi Zoo’s elephants, Noor Jehan, celebrities have lent support to the demand that the animals be shifted to sanctuaries.

    Taking to Instagram, the ‘Maula Jatt’ actor shared a clip of a post by Express Tribune, slamming authorities for not caring about the welfare of the animals:

    “We can’t take care of animals in zoo’s- it is better than to receive curses from animals that we should ban zoos and send the animals to a safer place.”

    Abbasi’s criticism comes after countless celebrities, including Grammy award winner Arooj Aftab, raised their voices to support animals and shut down zoos. Aftab re-shared a clip from her interview with The Current where she had talked about the abysmal conditions of animals in Lahore’s zoo, calling for better facilities to be set up for animals.

    Just as Noor Jehan improved, she fell into a concrete pond built inside her shelter, leading to worsening of her condition. Authorities had remained in contact with the animal welfare organization Four Paws to coordinate for her treatment.

    Yesterday, The Nation reported that Minister of Climate Change and member of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sherry Rehman, had advised Sindh government to shut down Karachi Zoo, and for the animals to be moved to enclosures where they are provided with proper facilities.

  • It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo, is critically ill after the 17-year-old fell in a pond in a small enclosure. She has since been lying visibly weak with limited motion on a mound of sand, propped up against the only tree inside the enclosure. Noor Jehan’s condition is a reminder that we have imprisoned animals in cages for the entertainment of the people. We humans are the reason that the animals suffer and bear so much torture and pain.

    Wild animals are unlikely to survive or live happily in an artificial environment like the ones we provide them at the zoos. Moving them from their natural habitat and from their community puts them under great stress. It is no secret that animals in Pakistani zoos are kept in poor conditions.

    The wildlife parks and zoos of Pakistan are characterised by a weak governance system. The animals lying in the zoos and wildlife parks of Pakistan are ignored with regard to their physical and mental well-being. They are not properly provided with adequate nutritional food and are seldom treated effectively for their physical ailments. There are about 10 public zoos, 25 private zoos and 28 wildlife parks in Pakistan. Neither of these are authorised by any recognised association of zoos and aquariums. The animals kept in these zoos are often neglected. Not only is their food and nutrition ignored but several other environmental issues thwart their well-being. Several zoos lack veterinary professionals, owing to which the animals do not get ample medical help whenever required. Some animals die due to lack of adequate required treatment adding to the plight of the zoos of Pakistan.

    This brutality towards animals has been there because of continuous negligence being directed towards them. This isn’t the first time we are witnessing the suffering of animals at zoos and this definitely doesn’t seem to be the last time either. In 2020, American singer Cher arrived in Pakistan to send off Kaavan, an elephant in Islamabad Zoo she had spent years trying to free, before his move to a Cambodian sanctuary. Animal rights advocates had campaigned for the 36-year-old Asian elephant to be rescued from grim conditions.

    Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, has said that there is a no-zoo Islamabad model of rescue and rehab centre and transition sanctuary, in the federal capital. The Islamabad zoo where the bears and the elephant were kept have now been closed. Pakistan should stand firmly against any kind of animal cruelty and take timely action to stop it.

    We all need to stand up for the animals and treat them right. It took one Noor Jehan to make us realise that zoo animals suffer from continued neglect and will continue to die and go through pain if our policies don’t change. So if, we cannot take care of our animals, we should close the zoos and free the animals. We Pakistanis don’t deserve them.

  • Giraffe dies at Lahore Zoo

    Giraffe dies at Lahore Zoo

    A male giraffe, who had been sick for the last seven months, died at Lahore Zoo on Friday. As per the zoo officials, the nine-year-old giraffe had stopped eating to its full capacity.

    Punjab Wildlife Headquarters Deputy Director Muhammad Mudassar, while talking to Dawn, said that the exact cause of death would be determined after the post-mortem report, but the giraffe was suspected of having a blood infection.

    A total of three giraffes were procured by the Lahore Zoo in 2018. However, one of the female giraffes died soon after her arrival. Now only one female giraffe is left in Lahore Zoo. A giraffe costs around Rs40m to Rs50m, according to zoo officials. The zoo will now make arrangements for the giraffe to be paired.

    Six giraffes have been imported into the Lahore Zoo since 2007, and five of them have died prematurely due to various reasons.

  • Two kangaroos die at Lahore zoo

    Two kangaroos die at Lahore zoo

    A male and a female kangaroo died in Lahore Zoo on Thursday.

    As per reports, the male kangaroo died after suffering from a jaw infection while the female kangaroo was unwell for a long time.

    Both were provided medical assistance but couldn’t survive, the  officials said.

    Now13 adult kangaroos and three baby kangaroos are left at Lahore Zoo.

    Earlier, a lion died of ‘cardiac arrest’ in Karachi Zoo. The director of the zoo said the lion died because of its old age and that the average lifespan of a lion is 18 years normally.

    The Wild Life Department of Sindh with the help of District East officials captured the two lions in 2017 because they were transported into the city illegally. One of the two had died the later year of their fostering in the zoo, due to old age as well, the director claimed.

    According to the post-mortem report of the deceased lion, the cause of death was the cardiac arrest due to heavy fat deposits on its heart.

  • Two lions to be put to rest in Lahore Zoo

    The Lahore Zoo administration has decided to euthanise a pair of lions because they are suffering from a terminal illness.

    According to reports, the administration considering their health conditions has decided to put them to rest, as the pair has reached their maximum age limit.

    “Both of them are ill from the past several days and could not be treated or cured,” said an official of the zoo, adding that x-ray and ultrasound reports of the pair present proof of their poor health conditions.

    The official further said that “a tiger, brown bear and a zebra are also suffering from a crippling disease and a decision to euthanise them will be taken in the next meeting.”

    Earlier, in February, two white tigers cubs aged three months died in Lahore Zoo. They were reportedly suffering from COVID-19.

    Meanwhile, this is not the first incident of mistreatment of animals by zoo authorities in Pakistan. In December 2020, Peshawar Zoo lost its fourth giraffe in 2020, just a few days after a black bear’s death.

    On the other hand, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo — which drew international condemnation for its treatment of lonely elephant Kaavan — shut down in December 2020 after its final occupants Babloo and Suzie were relocated to Jordan.

  • Lahore Zoo’s white tiger cubs reportedly died of COVID

    Lahore Zoo’s white tiger cubs reportedly died of COVID

    Two 11-week-old white tiger cubs that died in Lahore Zoo last month appear to have died of COVID-19, zoo officials have said.

    According to reports, the cubs died on January 30, four days after beginning treatment for what officials thought was feline panleukopenia virus, a disease that zoo officials said is common in Pakistan and targets cats’ immune system.

    But an autopsy found the cubs’ lungs were badly damaged and they were suffering from severe infection, with pathologists concluding they died from COVID-19.

    Although no PCR test for the new coronavirus was conducted, zoo deputy director Kiran Saleem told Reuters the zoo believes the cubs were the victims of the pandemic that has killed 12,256 people in Pakistan.

    “After their death, the zoo administration conducted tests of all officials, and six were tested positive, including one official who handled the cubs,” Saleem said. “It strengthens the findings of the autopsy. The cubs probably caught the virus from the person handling and feeding them.”

    Pakistan’s zoos regularly draw the ire of animal rights activists, who say hundreds of animals have died from poor living conditions there.

    “The last two white tiger cubs have died at Lahore zoo and once again the negligence of the management and authorities has come out,” said Zufishan Anushay, founder of JFK (Justice for Kiki) Animal Rescue And Shelter.

    “White tigers are extremely rare and need a specific habitat and environment to live a healthy life. By caging them in unhygienic conditions with no medical arrangements, we will keep witnessing these incidents,” she added.

    However, Saleem rejected the allegations of neglect at the zoo, saying that animal rights activists were welcome to visit and check the facility’s safety and hygiene protocols themselves.

  • Two white tiger cubs die at Lahore Zoo ‘due to negligence’

    Two white tigers cubs aged 3 months have died in Lahore Zoo, Geo News has reported.

    According to Director Lahore Zoo Chaudhry Shafqat, the cubs died because the mother could not take proper care of them. The director said the tigress gave birth to three cubs and while one died during the birth, “the remaining two cubs were sick for the past two months”.

    On the other hand, another report has claimed that the caretakers of the tiger cubs were not able to take proper care of the animals due to shortage of funds resulting in their death.

    This is not the first incident of mistreatment of animals by zoo authorities.

    Two months ago Peshawar Zoo lost its fourth giraffe in 2020, just a few days after a black bear’s alleged death.

    Islamabad zoo shuts down after last animals moved

    Meanwhile, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo — which drew international condemnation for its treatment of lonely elephant Kaavan — shut down in December 2020 after its final occupants Babloo and Suzie were relocated to Jordan.

    The two Himalayan bears were the last to leave the Islamabad facility, almost three weeks after the country’s only Asian elephant was flown to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia.

  • Python recovered from house in Lahore

    Python recovered from house in Lahore

    Rescue 1122 team found a python which was almost seven-foot-long from a house in Lahore’s Garhi Shahu area.

    As per reports, the team had received an emergency call from a resident of Siddique Colony who found the python at his home. The rescue authorities managed to recover the python who was six feet and 11 inches long.

    A spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 said it would be too early to say as to how and from where the snake came into the house. He further said that the python had been handed over to the Lahore Zoo administration under an already issued standard operating procedure.

    He said the Rescue 1122 teams had responded to 1,719 emergency calls related to the existence of snakes all over the province since January this year.