Shortage of vets plagues zoos
A Pakistan zoo is auctioning off a dozen of its 29 lions to private buyers to free up space. AFP
Where a paucity of healthcare facilities in zoos had already jeopardised the health of animals, the departure of veterinary doctors to seek greener pastures abroad due to a missing service structure, has further reduced the quality of life of the captivated creatures.
Despite the government mandating aspiring veterinary doctors to complete the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree before joining Punjab Wildlife, the graduated vets are not ranked in terms of seniority in the absence of a service structure due to which dozens of senior doctors with plenty of experience have started leaving the country in the hopes for better career prospects.
“The zoos in the province do not have any service structure for veterinary doctors because of which senior doctors have no incentive of working for the zoo once they have gained enough experience hence, they choose to move abroad,” explained Dr Babar Saleem, a former veterinary doctor at Punjab Wildlife, currently serving at a zoo in Qatar.
Read ‘Animal care key to public health’
According to sources, Punjab Wildlife currently has 14 seats of regular veterinary doctors available, out of which more than half are vacant since some doctors left their jobs for pursuing higher education abroad and others simply chose to abandon their posts.
“If you fail to formally acknowledge the seniority of veterinary doctors and also deny them a raise, better job facilities, and job security, then it is no surprise that so many doctors are abandoning their posts and leaving the country,” asserted Ashiq Ahmed Khan, a wildlife conservator, who called out the government to introduce a service structure for veterinary doctors so that the exodus of vets to foreign countries can be controlled.
Khan’s apprehensions are bolstered by the fact that in the past few years, a number of doctors from Lahore Zoo alone have moved to Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia, in the hopes of a better future.
Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Mudassar Hasan, Deputy Director of Punjab Wildlife conceded to the absence of a service structure for veterinary doctors in Punjab Wildlife.
“However, we do have a policy of promoting 17th grade veterinary doctors to the 18th grade after 10 years of service and to the 19th grade after 20 years,” he said.
Apart from the make-shift service structure, Hasan confirmed that so far, no efforts had been made towards training the veterinary staff in the zoos.
In light of Hasan’s confirmation, Khan, the wildlife conservator, doubts if any serious improvement or upgradation in the zoo’s facilities can be brought about without investing in the training of vets. “When you want to upgrade zoos according to international standards, it does not simply mean bringing new animals and birds to the zoos. It also means that the supervising authority must consider it equally important to train those who are tasked with caring for the health of the animals,” he argued while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2023.