Close zoos if govt can’t look after animals: IHC

Islamabad : All zoos should be closed if the government can’t take care of the animals, remarked the Islamabad High Court chief justice while hearing a case on Saturday.

Justice Athar resumed hearing the case over lack of care provided to animals at the Islamabad Zoo.

The secretary of climate change and Islamabad mayor appeared in the court.

The climate change ministry was given the task of taking care of the animals, remarked Justice Athar. “What did you manage to do?”

The secretary said that whenever anyone from the ministry went to the zoo, the authorities would lock it.

“Why is everyone so interested in this zoo?” the judge asked. The animals are not being provided the treatment they should be, even the previous government did nothing about it, he said, adding that control of the zoo was given to the MCI, which has no legal claim over it.

The government, MCI and zoo authorities have proven that they are incapable of taking care of the animals, he remarked.

Sheikh Ansar Aziz, the mayor of Islamabad, said that the main problem is that the federal government didn’t provide enough funds to the MCI for the zoo.

We have to rely on the funds from CDA to pay for animal’s food, he told the court. The court ordered to form a commission to run the zoo. The commission will be headed by the climate change secretary and comprise the CDA chairperson, mayor and wildlife chairperson. The commission has been instructed to submit its first report on April 10.