KARACHI: The federal and Sindh governments are mulling shutting down Karachi Zoo permanently due to poor living conditions for animals.

This comes after Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo, is critically ill after the 17-year-old fell in a pond on Thursday in a small enclosure.

Sources said that the Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, has urged the Sindh government to shut down the Karachi Zoo due to its incapacity to take care of wild animals.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also supported this proposal and suggested moving the animals to safer places, they say.

It may be noted that a seven-member team of international experts of Four Paws on last Wednesday started the treatment of Noor Jehan at the Karachi Zoo.

Their visit follows an order by the Sindh High Court (SHC) in Karachi last year for Four Paws to assess the health of the animals after local animal rights activists had raised concerns in court about their well-being.

It is pertinent to mention here that all four African elephants arrived in Pakistan in 2009. Elephant Noor Jehan and Madhubala had been moved to the Karachi Zoo, while Malika and Sonu had been taken to the Safari Park.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 17 2023

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