Fingers crossed: ‘Pray for our tiger’

Karachi Zoo’s oldest Bengal tiger stopped eating five days ago.

KARACHI:

The oldest Bengal tiger at the Karachi Zoo showed signs of recovery on Sunday after remaining frail for the last five days. Its deteriorating health had reportedly prompted authorities to ask a panel of veterinary experts to review its health. Nonetheless, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has asked the public to pray for the health of the animal.

The 22-year-old male tiger had stopped eating last week, and the zoo is trying to change its diet after seeking advice from experts, said Karachi Zoo director Bashir Sadozai. In the meantime, zoo staff have stopped giving the tiger its regular meals of meat and started it on goat liver. “Medicines are also being mixed with milk to ensure that they work,” said Sadozai.

“The tiger stood on its feet and walked briefly after five days. We are hopeful that he [will regain] his strength. He might be old but I think he is going to survive,” added the director.

Karachi Zoo is home to four tigers, two of whom were recently imported from Belgium. The ailing tiger was brought to Karachi from Lahore in November 2004. KMC says that the zoo normally kept tigers that were between the ages of 16 and 20 years.

While the fate of the old tiger hangs in balance, a debate is already taking about its replacement.The two newly imported tigers are supposed to be shifted to Safari Park, which would leave the zoo with the ill tiger and another one who is nine years old. The zoo says that it has no immediate plan to replace the sick animal. However, Irfan Ahmed, who imported the pair of Bengal tigers, insists that the old tiger should be replaced. “These animals live for 18 years in a forest, and can live up to 25 years in a protected environment. But anything over 20 years is a bonus for them.”

Ahmed regretted that the Karachi Zoo kept aged animals and that it made no real effort to introduce younger animals. “There was a time our lion had become a joke. It wouldn’t roar or walk. That kind of impression won’t help the zoo,” opined Ahmed.

However, the zoo appears to be increasingly becoming sensitive to its reputation among the public. This was arguably the first time that the KMC had sent out a handout to warn everyone about the health of an animal. An official said that it was a pre-emptive step taken to avoid the kind of controversy that arises every time the media broke such stories.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd,  2012.