THE natural state of humankind has been described as “nasty, brutish and short”, but this seems to be a more accurate description of the lives of many animals in human captivity. A team of experts from Austria, recently tasked by the government to check up on the condition of animals at Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo, observed a further deterioration in standards since their earlier trip in 2016. They expressed their disappointment at the lack of cooperation from certain authorities, and the absence of progress in implementing their recommendations from their visit four years ago. In particular, the six-member team observed the behaviour and health of Kaavan — the zoo’s lone elephant — to see if it was safe to relocate him, along with other animals, to a sanctuary, as ordered by the Supreme Court in May. Marghazar Zoo gained notoriety after Kaavan’s plight made international headlines. In fact, a number of animals have met early deaths at the zoo. In 2018, a solitary bear reportedly died of a tumour inside its small enclosure. Soon after, a wild animal — most likely a wolf — made its way into one of the zoo’s enclosures and mauled five deer to death. Then, between December 2018 and January 2019, eight nilgais were found dead inside their enclosure; medical reports later found that four had been poisoned, while the other four had died from the cold or injuries.
Most recently, two Marghazar Zoo lions died while they were being relocated to a sanctuary in Kasur, which led the Austrian team to deem the situation dangerous for all animals and humans involved. A disturbing video of the lions’ handlers surfaced, showing them lighting fires inside the animals’ enclosure. Of course, the issue is not about a single zoo, as the condition of many zoos in Pakistan is not up to the mark, and death and disease are frequently reported. Kaavan may soon be free, but many others remain trapped in lives that are indeed “nasty, brutish and short”.
Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2020
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