There have been reports of a zoo in Pakistan’s Karachi city having food & staff shortages for the animals. According to reports, animals are underweight and are housed in small spaces.
There have been reports of a zoo in Pakistan’s Karachi city having food and staff shortages for the animals. According to reports, the animals are underweight and are housed in small spaces.
Pakistan is experiencing a severe economic crisis as a result of its high external debt load of over $115 billion (€105 billion), rising inflation, and dim future growth prospects, among many other issues.
Animals as well as people have suffered because of the unrest. In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, reports of food shortages for the animals at a zoo have sparked outrage on social media platforms and among animal rights activists.
Two elephants at the Karachi Zoo named Madhu and Noor Jehan are being examined by a team from the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS while they are in the South Asian nation.
The malnourished zoo animals were mentioned in a weekend article in the local English daily newspaper, along with Pakistan’s subpar animal welfare standards.
The paper stated that the horrifying living conditions of these animals, which include malnutrition, dirty water, and small enclosures, are having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing and constitute grave violations.
“This is unacceptable and requires immediate attention.” The 43-acre zoo, which was built during British colonial rule, has 750 animals and birds kept in 117 different cages. Tipu Sharif, an animal rescuer who frequently travels to Karachi Zoo for work, criticised the zoo habitat as “unsatisfactory.”
The animals at the zoo are malnourished due to a lack of resources and poor quality of food. Zain Mustafa, president of the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights, said it is not the first time food suppliers have encountered a problem with the zoo administration.
The staff and keepers of the zoo are excellent people, but it is the lack of resources that is creating problems, including the issue of quality food for animals.
Mehmood Baig, a senior official at Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), denied reports that the zoo animals were starving, but admitted that the KMC was facing its worst financial crisis due to the withholding of funds.
The administration owes over 30 million rupees in dues, and the animal food supplier has threatened to stop food supply. The KMC has a liability of over 10 billion Pakistani rupees due to the shortfall in revenues and non-release of funds from the Sindh government.
The zoo is facing a staff shortage as well due to a ban on recruitment by the Sindh government, with only 14 keepers and 93 available positions. The positions for 20 keepers, 33 security guards, 37 financiers, and four sweepers are available, but the authorities have not bothered to fill them.
Faisal Edhi, an aid worker and head of the social services Edhi Foundation, says KMC’s financial crisis is crippling the zoo, affecting animals’ well-being and the supply of food. He suggests that the administration seek the help of non-governmental organisations, as they stopped taking food from the Edhi Foundation due to media reports.
According to Edhi, the shipbreaking industry discards tonnes of meat annually. He declared, “This is frozen meat and is not harmful to animal health.” “The zoo could also get in touch with them and ask them to give that food to the animals.”
According to Mustafa of the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights, “every issue can be resolved, including the supply of sufficient quality foods,” if the budget is increased to give the zoo adequate resources.
However, animal rescuer Sharif stated that he thinks more drastic measures are required. He said, “I believe that all zoos should be abolished. “It is not right for them (the animals) to be underfed.” Authorities have refuted claims that animals at the Karachi Zoo were underfed. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, a provincial minister, and Khalid Hashmi, the director of the zoo, refuted allegations that the animals were malnourished.
The reports, according to Hashmi, were “false propaganda,” and there was no food shortage at the Karachi Zoo. DW was also informed by KMC Commissioner Syed Saif ur Rehman that the accusations were unfounded and untrue.