Former dancing bears Bubloo and Suzie who were rescued by Islamabad Wildlife Management will be relocated to a sanctuary in Jordan.
Former dancing bears Bubloo and Suzie who were rescued by Islamabad Wildlife Management Board will soon be relocated to a sanctuary in Jordan. The Himalayan bears were taken by ISWB from their owners who used them for entertainment purposes, and brought to the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad.
These bears are among the 30 animals that will be moved out of the zoo to better and safer homes with the help of Four Paws International. The relocation was planned following the Islamabad High Court’s order to shut down the Marghazar zoo in Islamabad after two lions were killed in a horrific fire incident. The court ordered to close the under-funded zoo which lacked trained staff and sufficient facilities for animals.
Islamabad Wildlife Management Board and Four Paws joined hands to relocate 30 animals to safer places, after which their experts started visiting the zoo for regular checkups of the animals. A field hospital was set up by the on-site team. The animals were thoroughly examined by a team of local vets under the supervision of Dr. Amir Khalil and Dr Frank Goeritz from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.
In a hearing in September, Chief Justice IHC was informed that five monkeys, three wolves, two bears and seventeen rabbits have been moved to Ayub Park sanctuary in Rawalpindi, while sanctuaries in Punjab and KPK have refused to accept Bubloo and Suzie, after which the elephant Kaavan, who is to be relocated to Cambodian elephant sanctuary, and the Himalayan bears are the only animals left in the zoo.
It was reported that both the bears had their teeth removed by their previous owners. Bubloo, the male bear, had one teeth remaining which was badly infected and needed immediate removal. While Suzie, the female bear, was found to have some kidney and liver issues, along with an infected wound.
The bears needed constant care and nutritious food, making it imperative to shift them to a new home; but sanctuaries in Pakistan refused to accept the bears. Four Paws International, the organization rescuing Kaavan, offered to move the duo to one of their sanctuaries.
In a recent development, the offer has been accepted by the government of Pakistan, and the bears will soon be taken to Jordan where a sanctuary run by Princess Alia Foundation and the international animal rights organization Four Paws will be their new home.
Originally published at daily times