Right to life for all

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday issued a landmark verdict on the animals held in captivity at the Marghzar Zoo in Islamabad. Deciding a four-year-old case and bringing to conclusion a campaign which predates the case, the court directed shifting of the over 878 animals — including birds and other mammals imprisoned in the zoo — to dedicated sanctuaries where these animals can be looked after properly. The control of the zoo was also handed over to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, taking it away from the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation and the Ministry of Climate Change — who had both failed to adequately administer the zoo.

The 67-page long verdict lays bare the conflicting relation that humans have had with animals, particularly for most of the 20^th century. It says how our dominance as a species has come at the cost of driving some other species, who share with us the gift of life, to the brink of extinction. The parallel of the lockdown with humans trapped indoors and animals put in cages was also included to enunciate how the shoe feels on the other foot. How greed has consumed us. In this context, the true landmark achieved by the verdict was the recognition that animals — or non-human creatures, as referred to by the court — have not only a right to life but also the right to fulfil their behavioural, social and physiological needs, be it in or out of captivity. The zoo (at least the one in Islamabad), the court said, failed to fulfil that duty nor did it make any positive contribution to society.

One of the bigger victories in this was freedom for the 30-year-old pachyderm Kaavan at the zoo.

This is a very welcome verdict and the detail and depth with various aspects explored in detail, and some restraint shown. One hopes that the court orders are implemented in letter and spirit and the animals find new, welcoming homes which are properly funded.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2020.

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