Impounded big cats to be relocated before auction

While the lions, tigers were previously to be housed at the zoo, SWD believes transporting them may be too risky

Considering the health of some big cats recently seized from Gulshan-e-Hadeed, the provincial wildlife department has decided to move the impounded animals to a nearby private facility, instead of the Karachi Zoo.

The decision, according to Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) conservator Javed Ahmed Maher, had been taken upon assessing the animals’ health and the risk involved in their long-haul transportation under the current situation.

“Going from Gulshan-e-Hadeed to the city zoo is at least a two hour drive. A female tiger has already expired, while the other felines are also quite restless. So it won’t be suitable to transport them right now,” he explained. “Instead, a principled decision of relocating the tigers to a private farmhouse is being mulled over. However, a resolution can only be reached once the farmhouse has been thoroughly inspected by animal experts.”

It is pertinent to mention that four lions and two Siberian tigers were recently found to have been illegally housed in a miniature zoo, located in Gulshan-e-Moazzam, a residential area of the greater Gulshan-e-Hadeed.

Two of the said lions had escaped and entered a madrassah, adjacent to the zoo, recently. Although area residents were left terrorised, the zoo owner was able to safely cage the escaped lions without any casualties.

Following various reports, SWD authorities reached the facility shortly after the incident and impounded all the big cats within the zoo’s possession.

“Initial inspection revealed that the animals were not in good health. A tiger had already expired in the owner’s possession, while one is pregnant and the rest are agitated,” stated the conservator.

Despite the requisition however, owing to the lack of space for the wild animals, the big cats are still housed within the same facility, while their relocation is in the works.

On August 13, as per the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1972, the assistant conservator had issued orders to temporarily keep the lions in the Karachi zoo.

In order to avoid any financial loss to the owner, he was also given a chance to place an advertisement and conduct an open auction for the animals within the next 45 days.

“In case the owner fails to auction them within the designated timeframe, the animals will be permanently taken over by the Karachi zoo. Any government zoo or an animal welfare organisation taking part in the auction can bid for these animals and take charge of their care,” said the orders. “The successful bidder, be an Animal Welfare Trust or others, would be obliged to ensure non-mating between the animals. Zohaib, the owner of the animals, would, however, be responsible for bearing the dietary expenses of the animals nonetheless.”

Speaking about the decision, Maher said the time for the auction had commenced with the issuance of the orders, but the animals needed to be shifted as soon as possible.

“As per the law, animals like lions and tigers are bound to be kept out of residential areas. For now, due to unavailability of space, they are still housed within the owner’s facility. But a private farmhouse in a scarcely-populated area, located at a 20-minute drive from Gulshan-e-Hadeed, is being considered. The big cats will be relocated as soon as animal experts green-light the area,” Maher told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2020.