The rot in Pakistan’s zoos is too deep to reform
https://arab.news/nnkxq
The average African elephant lives to be about 60 years of age which is only six or so years less than the average Pakistani. In captivity, its lifespan is somewhat shorter, but with care some elephants in zoos have lived to even exceed their average natural lifespan in the wild. In Pakistan however, the elephant Noor Jehan – ironically named after a Mughal empress who also died in captivity – died in extreme pain at the young age of seventeen.
It was a death foretold: Noor Jehan had developed a massive abdominal haematoma, or blood clot, brought about by years of neglect and abuse at the hands of zoo authorities. As a result, the ailing elephant had difficulty standing and walking and found it impossible to sit. Despite her obvious pain, even simple expedients like piling a heap of sand for the animal to lean against were not put in place until a team of foreign veterinarians from Four Paws insisted it be done. The final indignation came when Noor Jehan slipped and fell into a pond built for her to bathe in and, thanks to her untreated injuries, found it impossible to leave the badly designed pond, the slopes of which were clearly too steep for an ill elephant to climb. Extracted from the pond by means of a crane, Noor Jehan lay on her side till the last breath escaped her tired lungs. We know she suffered; elephants are emotionally complex creatures who have often been recorded ‘burying’ their dead by covering them with branches and other debris, sometimes even digging shallow graves with their trunks. Mothers who lose their young stay by their baby’s corpses for days, with other members of the herd participating in ritual morning by touching the body with their trunks; the herd will even return to the site where they lost a loved one for years, even if that place is off their usual migration route.
So, there is no doubt that the elephant who died thanks to the Karachi zoo’s criminal negligence possessed far more empathy than her captors, though perhaps that is too low a bar. Those who genuinely cared for Noor Jehan mourned her death, and in what is perhaps an attempt to salvage some hope from this atrocity, thought that maybe, just maybe, this would be some kind of wake-up call and lead to reforming the zoo system of Pakistan. Spoiler alert: it won’t.
One can nevertheless attribute its death, and many other animal deaths, to “natural causes” because it’s clear that at this zoo, nothing is more natural than corruption and negligence.
Zarrar Khuhro
A month earlier a rare Golden Tabby Bengal Tiger (of whom there are only about 30 in captivity worldwide) also died in Karachi Zoo. Officially, zoo authorities say this was a natural death with the tiger having reached the end of his lifespan, and it could be that they’re right-- except the record of this zoo in particular leaves one more than a little skeptical about claims from zoo officials.
This was the fourth death of a big cat at the Karachi Zoo in the last three years: In 2021 a lion and a lioness died and just last year a rare white African lion passed away. All of these deaths are being attributed to natural causes and/ or old age. But take a look at the picture of the white lion and you will see clear signs of starvation: its spindly legs, a body so emaciated that the ribs are sticking out. Its once-proud mane reduced to a few tufts of wispy hair, the lion looked far less healthy than your average street cat. One can nevertheless attribute its death, and many other animal deaths, to “natural causes” because it’s clear that at this zoo, nothing is more natural than corruption and negligence.
The city administration is absolutely incapable of caring for the zoo animals even if it wanted to, and our average zoo-going public also seems to take delight in causing more misery, with many seen throwing stones and trash into the animal’s enclosures.
Though the problem goes beyond a single director, set of staff or choice of contractors, do a basic google search and you’ll find that there have been many times over the past few years when animals were left to starve for days because unpaid contractors refused to supply food. Then there’s the twice former zoo director Khalid Hashmi, who was suspended from his post for suspected negligence after the white lion died, only to somehow be restored in time to preside over the agonizing death of Noor Jehan, after which he was again removed from his post. In one final act of pettiness, Hashmi locked the doors to the offices so that his successor, the Safari Park Director Kanwar Ayub could not take charge, forcing Ayub to have the locks broken and security posted at the gate of the zoo in order to prevent Hashmi from entering. At the very least, that’s one less predator the animals have to worry about.
— Zarrar Khuhro is a Pakistani journalist who has worked extensively in both the print and electronic media industry. He is currently hosting a talk show on Dawn News.
Twitter: @ZarrarKhuhro
