KARACHI:
Malika, a captive elephant held at the Safari Park in Karachi, suffers from a painful foot disease. Years of living in torturous conditions — being locking up for 20 hours each day in a narrow cemented cell, of which 15 hours involve being chained to the floor — has taken its toll on the helpless animal. Unless immediate measures are taken, the disease will spread, leading to the elephant’s death.
Even though Elephants are one of the largest living terrestrial mammals in the world, authorities in Pakistan have failed to provide them with a comfortable living. Elephants kept in enclosures with hard floor surfaces covered in urine and feaces can cause infections around the foot pad. As a result, they suffer excessively from various feet ailments which often turn out to be fatal. It is estimated that 50% deaths of captive elephants are caused by these afflictions.
There is an immediate need to shut down zoos across the country. If this seems like a radical step, then authorities need to invest in parks and zoos in order to protect animals instead of torturing them. The Karachi Safari Park which is currently filled with concrete owing to an under-construction hotel must be converted into a genuine animal friendly sanctuary. There is no reason why a decent world-class sanctuary cannot be developed at the entire 148-acre area earmarked for the park.
The other two elephants imprisoned in the Karachi Zoo should also be shifted to the Safari Park. Once the sanctuary is developed, most ungulates which are currently confined to small enclosures could also be released in a sanctuary that replicates the natural habitat of these animals.
Naeem Sadiq
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2021.
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