Desperate Cries

I recently visited Karachi Zoo after ages, and I had about four hours to spend as my mother was undergoing a dialysis session at Fatmiah Hospital. However, I regret to say that I could not bear to spend more than an hour at the zoo.

As I entered the zoo from the entrance located beside the children's rides, I was greeted by a desolate and barren landscape that seemed like the beginning of a horror movie. The rusted children's rides appeared as if they had not been maintained since the last rain, and my heart sank as I saw the African lion enclosure. I could not confirm whether the lioness/lion in the exhibit was alive or dead because it had no mane and was too weak to stand. The exhibit was filled with rotten food, and crows were scavenging around it.

Moving towards the bear enclosure, I saw a Himalayan bear actively looking for a way to escape the enclosure and hunt down the administration. Even though two fences were in place, it was still easily accessible for naughty kids to move in and place their hands inside. This reminded me of an incident at Lahore Zoo when I was a kid, where a bear had chewed off a child's hand in the enclosure.

As I moved towards the cliff to see the alligator, I saw a sign that read "Do not jump over into the exhibit" and I burst into laughter. Why would anyone want to jump over and watch a helpless animal begging to be killed? As I looked inside the crocodile exhibit, I saw a two-foot lizard/croc (I couldn't verify), and there was no water for the poor creature to swim in.

To muster my courage, I moved down the hill towards the monkey enclosure, but the stairs were broken, and it could cause a serious accident in the future. The monkey enclosure was stinking, and looking at the poor apes' faces, my heart melted.

Moving towards the elephant enclosure, I saw an 18-year-old elephant banging his head towards the gate, looking for a way to hide his pain. Maybe he was mourning because his partner had recently died due to poor conditions. The conditions were even worse than I could have imagined, and I wanted to leave as I couldn't bear to see the poor animal's misery.

Moving towards the deer enclosure, I found a massive land exhibit of deer and blue bulls. I wondered why they didn't shift the lions, tigers, and elephants to such exhibits with safety measures in place, where they could have more space, more interaction with the environment, and some sort of relief and place to roam.

Moving towards the tiger and white lion enclosure, I found the exhibit empty, and I think the animals were hiding to avoid the shame of their living conditions. However, it is the keepers who should be ashamed and charged with animal cruelty.

The most sarcastic part of my tour was the animal house, which was the most pathetic use of my 40 Pakistani rupees. The poorly-made stuffed lion statues looked like somebody had mixed a sad story with chunks of unnecessary laughter.

At this point, I gave up and decided to end my misery. On my way out, I bypassed a stinking pond where people were leisurely boating, and I almost puked. I ran my way out, thinking about the poor animals' conditions.

Karachi Zoo has space and animals, but it lacks good management and funds. The entrance fees could be increased, and the animals' condition could be improved by a few shifts. I understand that Pakistan is an economically challenged country where people are dying for basic needs, and money cannot be spent on animal welfare

I implore the government to at least shift the poor animals to private zoos where they can be properly managed, or take emergency action before anothers. Animals are not objects for our entertainment and amusement; they deserve to live in dignity and with respect.

To all the readers of this article, I humbly request you to share this message widely so that proper attention can be brought to this issue, and the suffering animals can be saved.