The haunting story of Kaavan

The kind of prolonged shackling that Kaavan has been put through has both psychological and physiological impacts

The unfortunate news of the re-chaining of Kaavan, the male elephant at the Islamabad Zoo, has recently been making rounds of media outlets and social media. Sadly, serious issues relating to animal welfare prevail in Pakistan, and they often overshadow the positive aspects as well as the fact that some enclosures in Pakistani zoos meet international standards. Largely, our zoos tend to have an animal collection, with one specimen each from a variety of species, ignoring the correct social settings, which leads to a manifestation of various abnormal behaviours among animals. The welfare aspects of zoos need to be addressed through legislation related to zoos and apt standards, which unfortunately Pakistan doesn’t pay much heed to. The story of Kaavan received attention but there are many other animals suffering in similar conditions in government and private ownership, in circuses and laboratories.

I called the Marghazar Zoo Director, Abdul Rasheed, to inquire why the zoo has re-chained Kaavan and he explained, “The elephant is going through musth — when a male elephant has a high testosterone level and can become temperamental. Besides this, the zoo is repairing the moat as part of it had collapsed. The zoo is currently going through the approval process to call for tenders to set up a new 7,400 square metres enclosure for Kaavan.” I wish the CDA had placed a sturdy door on Kavaan’s indoor compound to contain him during the renovation process rather than re-chaining him as prolonged shackling has both psychological and physiological impacts. An elephant should only be shackled for a brief periods, such as for a veterinary procedure or routine check-ups.

That the CDA is developing a new enclosure for Kaavan is welcome news, as activists have been advocating the improvement of zoo conditions, particularly elephant enclosures, for the last four years. This new enclosure would be bigger than the minimum standard requirements of both the American Zoo Association and Aquaria and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Having said that, animal welfare is not determined solely by the size of enclosures they are housed in. Other aspects such as social contact with conspecifics, enrichment and stimulation, appropriate diet and how it is served to the animal and the keeper’s behaviour also need to be taken into account. These factors also need to be kept into consideration for Kaavan and his future. Ideally, there should be no elephants housed in any small zoo in Pakistan. Elephants have specific requirements such as living in matriarchal groups (all female) and meeting males in the breeding season. Many elephants in zoos have been suffering from various behavioural problems and health conditions, such as arthritis and foot problems, which are related to inappropriate husbandry.

Small zoos, generally, do not house elephants anymore and have shifted them to bigger and better equipped facilities. For instance, the London Zoo does not house elephants anymore and has moved them to a large enclosure in Whipsnade, which is just outside the city.

While WWF is not an animal rights or welfare organisation, it expects that any animals held in zoos are cared for according to the highest husbandry standards and promote a positive image among the visiting public. Compliance with the provisions of the Code of Ethics and Animal Welfare of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as a minimum standard of conduct, is essential. Furthermore, the establishment of a Pakistan zoo association is critical in order to improve animal welfare standards, improve the animal gene pool, enhance technical expertise and conservation education programmes through collaboration.

Our Constitution must also include clauses on animal rights and well-being. The constitutions of many other countries explicitly include clauses for the care of nature. This entire situation highlights the need to improve anti-cruelty laws in Pakistan, integrate protection for exotic species in provincial legal frameworks as well as address the very fundamental, intrinsic need to institutionalise compassion towards animals.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.

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