Lions and tigers don’t scare this zookeeper. What terrifies him is the rising inflation

Kanoo Piraditta has been caring for some of the most ferocious beasts at the Karachi Zoo for the last 22 years

KARACHI: For the last 22 years, Kanoo Piraditta’s life has revolved around the well-being of animals at the Karachi Zoological Gardens. One of the most experienced zookeepers at the facility today, Piraditta is currently entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the zoo’s most attractive species - the lions, tigers and gorillas.

The wild beasts don’t scare him in the least, though. They run toward his outstretched hand when he calls out to them and let him pet them through the iron bars. Yes, he is careful not to irk them when they are in a foul mood, but for the most part, Piraditta enjoys a cordial relationship with the animals most people would rather stay away from. What terrifies him, however, is the rising inflation and how after 22 years of dedicated service, he has been unable to save up enough to afford a home.

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Childhood love

As a child, Piraditta, now 57 years old, was a frequent visitor to the Karachi Zoological Gardens. He always liked animals and would never miss an opportunity to pet them. His favourites at the time were dogs, horses and donkeys, he recalls. “Children are always fascinated by the zoo and I was no different,” Piraditta tells The Express Tribune, one lazy afternoon, as he walks around the zoo, inspecting his little kingdom. “I had never really thought I would be spending all these years in the zoo though,” he chuckles.

In 1997, Piraditta started working as an apprentice at the zoo. For the next year and a half, he worked, without getting paid, under Malik Masih and Jaffer Ali Baloch, who trained him on how to look after the snakes in the Saanp Ghar (Snake House). This is where Piraditta spent the first 14 years of his career - learning the nature of snakes and how to tame them. During this time, he was bitten twice by the black cobra and had to undergo treatment at the Aga Khan University Hospital. Sometime later, he was also bitten on the hand by a baboon - the scar is still apparent today.

This was the time when his family started pressuring him to quit the job but he vehemently refused, saying it was difficult to find a decent job and that at least it paid the bills.

Tricks of the trade

What he didn’t tell his family was that for Piraditta, it was the love for the animals that made him stay. He strove to understand their mannerisms, what pleased them or otherwise, how to tell if they were under duress and how to look for signs that revealed their health and fitness.

According to Piraditta, when it comes to the care of wild beasts such as lions and tigers, mental energy is more important than physical prowess. “One has to be mentally active and fit while doing it,” he says, adding that the zookeeper must be well acquainted with the locks and keys of the cages, the system of locking and unlocking the gates and the middle doors inside them. “Friendship with these dangerous wild animals comes at a cost and at any time, a single mistake in this job can result in one’s neck in the jaws of the lion himself,” he laughs. This is why Piraditta is always vigilant around the animals.

Piraditta starts each day by doing his rounds and examining the animals, ensuring they are not injured in any way and are still active. He calls out their names and tries to tease them by throwing water on them so they run around the cage. The pair of white lion and lioness, Raja and Sarah, tiger and tigress, Taybi and Rachel, and the gorillas, Raju and Rano, all seem to recognise his voice and respond to it.

After this, he transfers the animals to an inner chamber so he can clean the cage. Water is filled in the bathtubs for animals and ice blocks are kept in the cages during the summer while heaters are arranged in the winter. The cages are also covered from all sides to keep the cold breeze out. The lions and tigers are fed once a day between 12pm and 2pm, while their meal is skipped on Tuesday so that their digestive system remains healthy. The lions and tigers lay idle all day long and it is difficult for them to digest the food properly.

Over time, Piraditta has understood the animals’ whims and knows when to stay away and when they want to be caressed.  The animals, he says, are familiar with their keeper’s scent and generally trusting toward them. “However, these wild animals have a certain nature and usually warn their keepers by waving their claws when in a bad mood or annoyed with something,” he says.

One of Piraditta’s biggest peeves are the insensitive visitors who throw things at the animals through the iron bars. “Sometimes they throw rotten fruits and glass bottles at the animals. The worst time is Eid when children bring toy guns and fire plastic pellets at the animals,” he says angrily. Many an animal has gotten sick after eating the rotten fruits, he adds.

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The real fear

Kannoo has never been afraid of going near the wild animals but the rising inflation is giving him nightmares. He will retire from the job on December 30, 2022, and has almost no savings to his name.

“My parents had been living in a rented house in Soldier Bazaar since before the creation of Pakistan and now I too live in a rented house in the same vicinity,” says Piraditta. “Survival in these circumstances with a limited income is becoming more difficult with each passing day,” he adds.

His first pay check on the job was worth Rs2,055. Over two decades later, Piraditta makes Rs27,000 a month. From this, he pays Rs12,000 in rent and another Rs5,000 to Rs6,000 to cover the utility bills, leaving little for himself. Even though his children have all married and his wife passed away in 2001, Piraditta’s lifelong wish is to be able to save up enough to afford a home for himself. He hopes the gratuity and provident fund he gets at the time of his retirement is enough to make the dream come true.

And yet, as he reminisces about his life, Piraditta can’t think of a better way to have spent it. “I spent my life doing what I loved - caring for animals - and I have no regrets,” he beams.

 

This story is part of a weekly series that seeks to bring to light the unsung heroes of Karachi - the hawkers, traders, doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers and daily-wage labourers. It is they who make Karachi the city of lights.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2019.