Please reconsider the plan of building a zoo if they cannot take into account these valid concerns
PESHAWAR: There has recently been talk of building a zoo in Peshawar. It was reported that the Lahore High Court recently gave a ruling on a commission, recommending a ban on the exhibition of wild animals in election campaigns by any political party as it amounted to cruelty. It also recommended amendments to both federal and provincial laws in relation to the keeping and breeding of wild animals.
Pakistan is not known for its respect for animal rights. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), dog-fighting, which is banned in most progressive countries, is still a popular sport. When I travel from Peshawar to my home in the Kalash Valley, I pass through Takht Bahi where one can often witness cock-fights. With this kind of mentality among the populace, how can a zoo, with staff possessing humane attitude towards animals, exist? How many times have we read about the death of exotic animals in Karachi and Lahore zoos? The other day, it was reported that yet another chimpanzee died due to negligence in the Lahore Zoo.
Peshawar is extremely hot in the summer. What arrangements will be made for caged animals to be kept cool? Given the unending load-shedding, will the energy crisis be a thing of the past, by the time the zoo is operating? Another concern relates to the acquisition of wild animals for this zoo by the authorities. Where will they get the animals from? Will the wildlife department be entrusted to capture animals, terrorising them in the process and perhaps, separating the young from their mothers, and even possibly, killing some animals in the process?
May I request the chairman of the PTI, Imran Khan, the chief minister of K-P, Pervez Khattak, and the advisers and secretaries concerned to please reconsider the plan of building a zoo if they cannot take into account these valid concerns.
Maureen Lines
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2014.
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