The year Marghzar Zoo fell from grace

Over the course of 2020, the facility stripped of its menagerie of rare species under court orders

ISLAMABAD:

To say that the year 2020 has been disastrous all round would be an understatement. Between the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions imposed to curb it, people from all walks of life all over the world have suffered.

While its woes may appear meagre in comparison, the year has not been so kind to Islamabad’s Marghzar Zoo as well. Over the course of 2020, the facility lost all of its attractions after the Islamabad High Court ordered that its entire

But before those eager to consign the idea of zoos to the trash bin of history can rejoice, the process has not been as kind to most of Marghzar’s fauna as everyone would have hoped.

While Kavaan, the elephant once known as the world’s ‘loneliest, did make it safely to Cambodia, and Marghzar’s pair of bears were successfully transferred to Jordan, the other zoo animals appeared not so lucky. As many as half a dozen deer, a lion and lioness, and an ostrich died while they were being relocated.

More alarmingly, reports suggested that as many as 513 rare species of birds and animals held in the zoo have gone missing without a trace between 2019 and 2020.

In July last year, when the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) was still managing its affairs, Marghzar Zoo housed a total of 917 animals and birds. But when the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IMWB) took control of the zoo back this July that number had somehow dwindled down to 404 animals and birds, sources said.

Among the missing animals were specimens from rare species like nilgai and chinkara deer, and several breeds of birds. According to sources, authorities fear the missing animals have either died due to negligence or have been stolen by those looking to profit off exotic species.

Indeed, it was the apparent negligence of Marghzar Zoo’s management and the lack of proper care its residents suffered that prompted the Islamabad High Court’s orders. Starting with Kaavan, who lost his partner named ‘Saheli’ eight years ago, the court directed that all of Marghzar’s animals be moved to ‘safer’ locations within 30 days.

The relocation of Marghzar’s menagerie also heralds the end of an era for Islamabad. With it, the federal capital has lost its only attraction of its kind, leaving the city’s residents with one less venue for recreation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2021.