Road less travelled: Sans walkways, Lohi Bher park loses its charm

Due to lack of funds, contractor leaves job unfinished.

RAWALPINDI:

What additional facilities could a zoo charging no entry fee and housing a variety of animals including six lions require to attract visitors? For the Lohi Bher Wildlife Park, the missing link seems to be evenly paved pathways.

The wildlife park’s fame or lack thereof, is largely attributable to its trademark uneven and muddy tracks. Spread over 687 acres, the park’s main attraction is the lion safari, located at the very end of the park. Sadly, though, most visitors who set out to see the majestic felines give up halfway, as the road leading to the lion safari is virtually impassable.

Construction work for widening and repairing the tracks was started in April 2013, but due to non-availability of funds, the contractor put a halt to the work in September.

“A few months back, due to a lack of funds, the contractor stopped working. Now, I think the Punjab government will earmark a budget for the completion of this project in the upcoming fiscal year,” said Zoo Director Raja Javid.

He expressed concern over the park losing visitors due to this unpaved road. “The park attracts a very small number of visitors. Those who do embark on a tour turn back after seeing the uneven, dusty road,” said Javid. He said that earlier, the park had only one lion but now it houses six, despite this, the visitor turnout is paltry.

“I hope that after the road’s completion, the park will attract a large number of visitors, for we have hundreds of animals of various species here,” shared Javid.

The park also turns out to be a disappointment for children. Swing sets installed in the playground are broken, to the children’s dismay.

“We came here to see lions and have fun, but my father is reluctant to drive on this muddy track. He is telling me to enjoy myself in this park, but how can I play on broken swings?” said 10-year-old Talha.

Nadeem Zahoor, a caretaker at the park said that until a few years ago, having 400 t0 500 visitors over on weekends was the norm, but things have changed now.  “Although entry to the park is now free, people have stopped frequenting it as they are unable to traverse the muddy track.”

“I’m hopeful that after the road is rebuilt, the park will regain its former glory,” added Zahoor.

Visitors at the park, who spoke to The Express Tribune, requested the government to construct a walkway. “The park does not have any track for visitors who may want to tour the park on foot,” said Mukhtar Ahmed, a visitor.

The first ever deer safari in the twin cities will be open for visitors in March, informed Javid. He added that the government has also imported exotic birds, an addition to the wildlife park. He said that the main purpose of the safari is to keep animals in their natural habitat, besides providing entertainment for visitors.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2014.