Lion shifted from Lahore to Peshawar Zoo falls sick

Zoo official says the big cat has fallen sick because of the change of surroundings

PESHAWAR: One of the two lions shifted from Lahore to the newly established zoo in Peshawar has fallen sick because of the "change of surroundings".

The lions were purchased from Punjab government about a month ago and have been living at the Peshawar Zoo, where construction work is under way.

The Peshawar Zoo project's administration officer, Naimatullah Khan, told The Express Tribune that the lion fell sick a few days ago and a doctor had been hired to look after the big cat.

"The lion is a wild animal. It gets disturbed when it is relocated because of the change of surroundings,” he added.

The lion had stopped eating and drinking in the first week after it was brought to Peshawar.

“Now they [lions] have started eating two kilograms of meat a day and are also drinking water,” Khan said. "They will get used to Peshawar’s climate by next month," he added.

“The cage is new and the environment is different from Lahore so the lion will need some more days to become familiar with its new surroundings.”

The zoo administration refused to reveal how much was spent to buy the lions. Sources, however, told The Express Tribune that the lions were purchased for over Rs2 million from the Punjab government.

The under-construction zoo, Peshawar’s first ever, is built on more than 24 acres and cost around Rs300 million. The land for the zoo was provided by the Peshawar Forest Institute.

The Peshawar Zoo. PHOTO: Express

Situated near the University of Peshawar and bigger than the Lahore Zoo, the project was inaugurated by Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Pervez Khattak in 2016.

The construction work at the zoo is in its final stage and it is likely to be opened for public in December.