Govt mulls shutting down Karachi Zoo permanently

• Animals kept at Karachi Zoo face terrible living conditions.
• Climate Change minister Sherry Rehman urges govt to close facility.
• Poor condition of animals at Karachi Zoo raises eyebrows of wildlife experts.

ISLAMABAD: The federal and the Sindh government are mulling to shut down Karachi Zoo permanently for all the right reasons as the animals kept there face terrible living conditions.

Earlier this month, the issue of 17-year-old elephant, Noor Jehan, was highlighted due to her severely deteriorating health. The mammal underwent a successful surgery last week but couldn't recover properly as her condition has worsened to a worrying extent.

The elephant had developed several medical conditions due to months of inadequate care and treatment, and this is just one case among the number of animals kept at the wildlife park.

Following the public outcry and involvement of international organisations, federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman has urged the provincial government to shut down the Karachi Zoo as it lacked capacity to take care of the wild animals.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is also chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), has supported the proposal to permanently shut the wildlife park and shift the wild animals and birds to safer places.

An official of the ministry has opined that "after support from Bilawal Bhutto and Rehman, the Sindh government is likely to accept the proposal to close down the Karachi Zoo."

He said there were many proposals in which the experts have presented recommendations to turn existing zoos into botanical gardens and rescue and rehab centres for wild species.

It is pertinent to mention here that the poor living conditions of wild animals at the Karachi Zoo has raised eyebrows of the wildlife experts who have demanded to shut it down and shift wild animals to sanctuaries.