Giraffes and hippos to join the Safari Park family very soon

The park’s administration has made arrangements with the Tanzanian government for the trade.


Samia Saleem November 10, 2010

KARACHI: The Karachi Safari Park is going to become a lot more exciting with its planned addition of six giraffes and four hippopotamuses. Six giraffes and four hippos will be imported from Tanzania, said the park’s district officer, Syed Raza Abbas Rizvi, happily.

These animals are no ordinary additions - there has not been a giraffe in Karachi for the past 30 years, before which the Karachi zoo used to house the tall, yellow animals. Meanwhile, the hippos are making their first ever entry into the city.

The park’s administration has made arrangements with the Tanzanian government for the trade and now only the approvals from Pakistan’s side remain, Rizvi informed The Express Tribune.

“The giraffes that we are planning to import belong to the Masai species of Tanzania and are among the most beautiful and tall ones in the entire world!” he added.

The park is all set for their new arrivals, including arrangements for separate enclosures for them that were constructed using a grant from the provincial government. The only obstacle left to overcome is the all-pervasive insecure law and order situation of Karachi. “The plan is in limbo as the local government that makes the approving body of the case is busy looking after the ill state of affairs in the city,” the DO said.

The total budget for the deal is Rs60 million  and it will take almost two months for the animals to reach the park, that too after all the approvals from the city government are dealt with.

Preparations for winters

As the first dry winds of winter sweep through the city, the park management too has started preparing for the season. Spread at around 173 acres, the park houses around 15 species of animals including several kinds of deer, such as the red deer, hog deer, spotted deer, Eland and chinkaras, white camels, horses, two elephants and llamas. Every year, the approach of winter is followed by planning for each animal’s separate needs. While the arrangements started in the beginning of November, they are implemented in the first week of December.

There are separate diet plans for every animal. Some of the cages are lined with jute sacks, while the cold-blooded animals are given special attention, Rizvi said.

In an effort to make the park more diverse, the management is also in contact with the Islamabad and Bahawalpur zoos for exchange of unique species.

According to Rizvi, with an entry fee as low as Rs10 per person, the park is the cheapest safari of the world.  “I have been to other safaris and no such park has an entry fee as low as this. In Thailand, it is 900 baht and even in Bangladesh it is 300 taka,” he said.  Appealing to the national and multinational companies for help, he said that the park serves a noble purpose by providing cheap and quality entertainment to the middle class public of the city and so the donors should come forward and donate animals to the park.  “We have the largest safari area in the entire country and we promise to take good care of the animals,” he concluded.

Private cars are not allowed in the park but an additional Rs20 buys a ride in the park’s coach, which goes through the park and gives people an opportunity to spy on the animals in their ‘natural’ habitat. Rizvi claimed the park gets around 4,000 visitors every day while on weekends there can be as many as 10,000 visitors.

There are also chairlifts, which give a bird’s eye view of the large enclosure. The ticket for chairlifts costs Rs100 per person.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2010.

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