ISLAMABAD: The global animal rights group PETA said on Wednesday it welcomed a decision by the Lahore Safari Zoo to call off plans to auction 12 lions from its ever-growing pride to private buyers, saying it would instead create new enclosures for the big cats.
The auction planned for Thursday had drawn condemnation from the WWF, which urged authorities to instead rehome them with other government wildlife facilities.
“PETA welcomes Lahore Safari Zoo’s decision to cancel its auction of big cats – who would have been sold off like mere objects, likely destined to exist as living trophies in someone’s house – and to build a larger enclosure instead,” Elisa Allen, Vice President of UK Programmes and Operations, PETA Foundation UK, said.
“However, as long as this zoo continues to breed wild animals into captivity, it’ll only be a matter of time before it’s again faced with the prospect of having too many animals and not enough space.”
PETA called on the zoo to end its captive-breeding program immediately and focus on protecting animals in their natural habitat “because all the cages in the world certainly won’t save animals from extinction.”
“The main reason behind the auction was the lack of space,” deputy director Tanvir Ahmed Janjua told AFP, adding officials had decided to speed up work building two new enclosures. “Now that this issue is to be resolved soon, there is no need for the auction to take place.”
Set over 200 acres, Lahore Safari Zoo is considered one of the best in the country, where zoos are known for disregarding animal welfare.
The Lahore facility is currently home to 29 lions, six resident tigers and two jaguars.
Zoo officials had set a reserve of 150,000 Pakistan rupees ($700) per cat, about the same price as a cow, but hoped each would fetch around two million rupees at auction.
Keeping lions, tigers and other exotic wildlife as pets is not uncommon in Pakistan, and is seen as a status symbol.
Wealthy owners post images and video clips of their big cats on social media, and rent them out as props for movies and photoshoots.
Janjua denied opposition from animal rights activists had led to the decision to cancel the auction.
“Should the lions breed more, and we see we are running out of space once again, then we can easily hold another auction,” he told media.
