Pride of Karachi: After misery of rain, zoo animals bake in the heat

Stagnant water and muck still uncleared from enclosures and cages.

KARACHI:

Roars and moans echoed through Karachi Zoo as the rain clouds rolled away and the temperature rose on Wednesday. The garden was open to women and families only but many people decided to visit as it was a government holiday.

To enter, women and children had to skirt around two fallen ficus trees that were uprooted in the rain on Tuesday. They had to step carefully to avoid slipping in the muck.

A zebra grazed alongside a pool, flicking away the swarming dragon flies and mosquitoes as the intimidating Bengal tiger paced back and forth in the corner of its cage. The soft fur along his belly was soaked and it appeared that the disgruntled cat was trying to avoid unwanted attention. A closer look, however, revealed that he was just sticking to the driest surface. In keeping with Karachi’s coastal weather, cages are not designed to shelter the animals from the rain. The animals, especially the lioness at the zoo, are used to children pestering them. But on Wednesday, the children’s shouts coupled with the heat, flies only added to the irritation of not having been groomed in days. Visitors steeled themselves for a roar but all that emerged was a wheezy cough.

“So much for being the king of the jungle,” sneered a child. “How can this be called a man-eater when it starts to cry when we tease it?”

By far the most miserable animal, however, was probably the black bear. The bear’s enclosure is more of a cage-shaped well - very convenient for collecting rainwater. Even its shelter - a small compartment known as the ‘basement’ - was flooded. Telltale puddles of rainwater collected at the sidewalks and in cages. A pair of wallabies attempted to rest in the sun in the only dry patch in their enclosure.

“As a child, I remember this place being filled with animals,” muttered a disappointed visitor. “Now all I see are a few lying around dirty and near death.”



Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2011.