As many as 22 animals from Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad have been handed over to the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD), following court orders.
The animals, including 16 black spotted turtles, five land tortoises and a marsh crocodile, were transported in a carriage that left the zoo in the federal capital on Friday evening and reached the Indus Dolphin Centre in Sukkur on Saturday morning.
Later, the crocodile and black spotted turtles were released in Sufi Anwer Shah Safari Park near Ghotki, which, SWD officials said, would be their new home now onwards.
The tortoises, however, have been placed in quarantine for a few days and will be released in their natural habitat soon, SWD conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar told The Express Tribune. Explaining the reason behind quarantining tortoises, he pointed out that Islamabad's weather was very different from that of Sindh.
Please join us in welcoming 'Victims of Cages' at Zoo - one female Marsh Crocodile & 16 Black spotted turtles.
— SindhWildlife (@sindhwildlife) July 18, 2020
Natural habitat of Sufi Anwer Park, Ghotki Sindh🇵🇰 is their new "Sweet Home"
Following orders of Islamabad High Court for sending caged animals to their natural 1/2 pic.twitter.com/kytk5qT9PW
According to wildlife experts, the transported animals have natural habitats in Sindh.
Speaking of the black spotted turtles, Mahar said that they had been classified as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. "This is a rare species mainly because it is traded [widely]," he added.
However, the conservator expressed ignorance when asked whether any more animals would be shifted to Sindh.
In a letter written by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), SWD officials have been directed to look after the animals. The letter also states that the SWD will be responsible for the animals' sustenance until they are handed back to the IWMB.
Interestingly, SWD officials have not been informed when they will have to hand back the animals to the IWMB. The question about how SWD officials will identify and recapture the animals from the wild when the IWMB demands their return remains unanswered.
In May, the Islamabad High Court ruled that the Marghazar Zoo's animals had been kept in conditions subjecting them to unnecessary pain and suffering, therefore violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1890, and the Wildlife Ordinance, 1979.
The court had ordered the IWMB to relocate all remaining animals at the zoo to appropriate sanctuaries within 60 days of receiving a certified copy of the judgment, adding that no new animals were to be brought to the zoo until a reputable international body specialising in such matters certified it had the facilities and resources required for the needs of each species.
The verdict of the high-profile case had also ordered the relocation of the zoo's lone elephant, Kaavan, to an elephant sanctuary. On Saturday, the court approved Kaavan's relocation to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2020.
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