Moving at snail’s pace: Lack of apathy towards zoo uplift irks commissioner

Wildlife representative told to take immediate action against illegal animal trade

KARACHI: Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui was irked by how, despite continuous meetings with different stakeholders for the uplift of Karachi Zoological Gardens and Safari Park, the officials seem indifferent towards implementing the tasks assigned to them.

"You must keep your word and fulfil your promises," he reminded them, expressing concerns over the progress after repeated meetings.

Chairing the fifth advisory committee meeting for the uplift of the zoo and Safari Park on Friday, Siddiqui directed all officials to expedite work.

"You had to build a souvenir shop here but haven't taken up the initiative as yet," he said, addressing the administration. "It should be built soon." He was unhappy that the administration had not developed the website of the facility.

He took to task the Sindh wildlife department for failing to take action against the illegal trade of wild animals. "Take action immediately or let me know if I should do it myself," he told the wildlife representative, Mumtaz Ali Soomro.

Soomro assured him that the traders have been warned, saying his department will take action against them by the end of May. Siddiqui further directed Soomro to take action against those circus owners who use protected animals for entertainment.

"Can you shift the zoo from this place?" asked Faisal Mukhtar, a representative of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). "The impression about the location is not good." He added that one of the members of the KCCI wanted to shift the zoo outside the city.

"I'll allot the land for a new one but won't allow shifting it," replied Siddiqui. "It's a historical zoo." He added that those wish to help build a new zoo should favour a separate one and not on the cost of the present one.

"The location isn't fit for animals," Mukhtar told The Express Tribune, saying it was just a suggestion regarding the perception of the zoo's location in the midst of the city.

The meeting concluded that the zoo administration, with the help of other stakeholders such as World Wide Fund for Nature — Pakistan, will contact international organisations for the betterment of the Karachi zoo.

The meeting also decided that some of the members will go to Singapore for a five-day visit to see the zoos there. It was decided that the government will be contacted to release the grant for the uplift of Karachi zoo and Safari Park.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2015.