Caged 

The Marghazar Zoo, set at the foothills of the picturesque Margallas, has lost at least 15 animals in the last few years, many of them as a result of neglect and poor housing conditions. There has now been an addition to this number. A few days ago, a bear kept alone in a small enclosure in the zoo died, with zoo officials conceding that neglect and limited space may have been factors in this. The zoo, which houses a wide variety of species, most kept in deplorable conditions, is spread over 25 acres of land. There is a single vet who also acts as deputy director to manage health concerns for the animals. There is no evidence that anyone knowledgeable about keeping animals in conditions that resemble their natural habitats, as has become customary at the best zoos around the world, is in place. We wonder if zoos should even be maintained in circumstances such as ours – where they are poorly funded and where there is very little concern for the wellbeing of the animals. Entertainment, perhaps in its most barbaric sense, is the only purpose behind these zoos, whether they are based in Lahore, Karachi or elsewhere. The Peshawar Zoo, hastily set up in March this year and badly understaffed, has already been a point of controversy with a leopard and at least three other animals dying in the sweltering heat of their cages.

While an additional fund of Rs100 million has reportedly been allocated in the 2018-19 budget for upgrading the zoo, there can be no guarantee that this will be used to rescue the animals trapped in it. At present, the lone elephant at the zoo, Kaavan, whose case was taken up by the Senate, is housed alone in inadequate shelter and according to zoological experts suffers from mental distress. His sole companion, the young elephant Saheli, died in 2012, triggering an investigation to which full answers have never been found. The two lions at the zoo are currently being kept separately to prevent them from breeding. All over the world, zoos have evolved into places which if maintained at all are intended to meet educational purposes or help save endangered species through specialised breeding programmes. None of our zoos is able to perform these functions. In fact, the helpless animals behind bars are frequently tormented by visitors who apparently believe that poking them with sticks is some form of amusement. We need to question the purpose of our zoos, if we should be keeping them open at all and if so, what measures should be taken on a continuous basis to prevent the torture of animals attended to by untrained staff.