Zoo is a prison where all inmates are innocent: Ushna Shah
In a recent turn of events, television actor Mashal Khan shared an already viral video of a panting baby bear on her Instagram, making many of her followers re-imagine the kind of conditions all animals are kept in at the Karachi zoo.
"I’m sick to my stomach after learning of this poor baby at the Karachi zoo," wrote the actor. "Being jailed without food, water, health care. Look at her panting. Look at the size of her nails. Look at her fur. Look at the agony in her eyes; begging onlookers for help," she added. "Please help her by raising your voice against this. Shut down Karachi zoo! It is pure evil! Put an end to this!" urged the celebrity.
Following this, actor Imran Abbas also commented on her post saying, "This is heart wrenching." But that wasn't all, since many public figures then took it upon themselves to reshare the video and amplify Khan's voice. Among them was actor Ushna Shah, who has previously raised her voice for animal right in Pakistan surplus times.
Shah took to Instagram to pen an elaborate note along with the video, while sharing another image of a healthy looking baby bear - pictured in its natural habitat.
She wrote, "Pehlee doh videos hein Karachi Zoo mein eik reech kee jo garmee mein tarap raha hei. Teesri image hei eik reech kee jo apnay kudratee mohawl mein hei (The first two videos show a baby bear panting because of the heat at the Karachi zoo, while the last image shows a baby bear in its natural habitat)."
"Jaanwaron ki numaish unkey saath na-insaafi hei aur unn pey shadeed Zulm hei. Agar janwar dekhne ka shoq hei toh unn key mohowl mein jaa key dekhna chahiye (The display of animals is immense injustice, if you are so interested in watching animals, kindly observe them in their natural habitats)," pointed out the star,
She went on to reiterate how visiting zoos meant contributing to the sufferings of enslaved animals. "Eisee jagahon ko band karwa deina chahiye. Zoo eik eisee jail hei jahan sab qaidee bey-gunah hein (Places like the zoo should be closed down because they are prisons where all inmates are innocent)."
She then urged her followers to raise their voice against all zoos in their respective cities so that their local governments can take action against these vile practices. "Zoo aur marine-animal shows ko bilkul bhee support matt keejiye aur apney dosto aur rishtaydaron ko bhee samjhayein key janwaron ki numaish karna aur dekhna shadeed bey-rehmi hei (Do not support zoos or marine animal shows and please educate your family and friends against them. Make them understand that such exhibits are cruel)."
Reiterating how God has granted jungles, mountains, seas, rivers, and an entire sky to wild animals, Shah then asked how humans could imprison them in small, enclosed spaces for their own entertainment? "Unko qaid kar key rakhna Eik nihayat bhayanak harkat hei jo sirf insaan karta hei. Iss haqeeqat pey ghaur keejiye, apney dil mein rehem aur narmee peida kee jiye aur qudrat key khilaaf iss harkat ko khatam keejiye," she concluded.
Actor Armeena Khan also chimed in on the matter and took to Twitter to urge authorities to take action against the brutality. She wrote, "Here we go again, This time it’s Karachi zoo. This poor bear is thirsty, extremely hot and probably very, very hungry. The poor creature will die if something isn’t done for it. Please help."
Taking notice of the #SaveTheBear hashtag, advisor to Chief Minister Sindh on Law and Environment Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, then tweeted about the same, informing his followers about the bear's health. He went on to claim that the baby bear named Ranoo was 'healthy' but 'lonely'.
"Initially we had sought a report from Zoo and today Municipal Commissioner personally visited the Zoo. The name of this bear is Ranoo. She is in stable health condition and is being looked after. However, there may be issues of loneliness since she is the only bear in thr zoo," he said.
Nevertheless, Khan went on to share another tweet from the Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, who had also informed his followers about the bear's 'safety', and continued to urge him to release all zoo animals. "Sir, please release all zoo animals to an appropriate sanctuary and end their suffering. These creatures belong in the wild not in cages for our perverse entertainment. Thank you."
But due to the silence surrounding the issue of releasing all animals altogether, a petition is now doing the rounds on social media to amplify the cause. Khan, who had posted the video initially, shared the petition on her Instagram saying, "In reference to the videos I posted yesterday regarding Karachi Zoo’s negligence, we have decided we want to do something about it. Please contact the given number to add your name to the list of petitioners. My name and address is there as well. This is how we can make a difference. Please, let’s do our part in ending this cruelty."
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