Zoo authorities told to keep animals in their natural environment

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered the zoo authorities to relocate zoo animals to their natural environment, and directed the committee constituted to examine the animals at the zoo to submit their report with regard to the conditions of the animals being kept at the zoo.

Hearing the petition that sought the shifting of a brown bear from the Karachi zoo to the Islamabad sanctuary, an SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro said zoos should be converted into national parks, and animals should be kept in their natural environment instead of cages. The court said animals should be kept for their welfare rather than for recreational purposes.

Wildlife Department Conservator Javed Mahar filed a progress report with regard to the shifting of the brown bear Rano, saying that the bear was translocated to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board’s bear rehabilitation centre via a C-130 aircraft provided by the Pakistan Air Force.

The petitioner’s counsel Jibran Nasir said veterinarians and animal rights activists should also be included in the committee constituted for reforming and auditing the Karachi zoo, and to ensure the welfare of the animals kept at the zoo.

The zoo director also filed a report with regard to the sanctioned posts of veterinary doctors at the zoo. The petitioner’s counsel said the Karachi zoo has insufficient resources to cater to the need of the animals. He said the X-ray machine and other medical equipment at the zoo are out of order.

He said the zoo does not even have a system to anaesthetise the animals and take blood samples. The court asked the zoo authorities what steps can be taken for the restoration of the machines, and warned them of action for such mismanagement.

The court directed the authorities to make immediate arrangements for the health and well-being of the animals. It also directed them to constitute a committee comprising experts for examining the welfare of the animals, and submit a report on the next date of hearing.

The SHC had ordered shifting Rano from the zoo to the bear sanctuary because she had been without a companion after the other bear at the zoo had died in 2020. The petitioner’s counsel Jibran Nasir had said that an expert committee report had unanimously found Rano to be under stress, and recommended her immediate relocation to a sanctuary until her DNA sequencing was conducted to identify her exact species.

Nasir said the expert committee, which comprised qualified experts in wildlife, veterinary care and ecology, had made specific and time-sensitive recommendations, including Rano’s immediate relocation to a sanctuary, and further steps contingent upon the DNA confirmation of her sub-species.