Sindh government plans to redesign Karachi Zoo

KARACHI: Sindh government has allotted Rs300 million budget for the renovation, restructuring and repair of the city’s zoo.

The government, which is carrying out different development projects including constructions of underpasses, roads and bridges, hopes to provide recreational facilities to the people with this move.

People barely have any places to go for recreational purposes in the city. As the port city’s most parks and playing grounds have been grabbed by land mafia or used for china-cutting, people have barely any places to visit with family.  

Even fewer people are opting to visit Karachi zoo, where people from all classes of the city used to come,  due to its deteriorating condition.

Experts will help make a map for the zoo and then construction will occur, according to the government official.

Additional Secretary Development Municipality, Sindh, Niaz Soomro told Geo News that a known architect has been hired to re-design the zoo.

Under the new plan, broad and wide cages will be designed for the animals and birds and they will be a provided with an environment similar to their natural habitat. This will help in breeding animals too, he added.

About Rs150million will be utilised for the development of the zoo while another Rs150 million will be spent on purchasing new animals and birds for the zoo. The plan also includes building new walls for the zoo.

Moreover, Sindh government had also announced a special package worth Rs10 billion for the repair, development and renovation of the zoo.

On March 16, a rare pair of bears had arrived at the Karachi zoo after 16 years. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) transferred the pair of bears, a South Asain male and Syrian female, to the zoo.

Speaking at the occasion, deputy mayor Arshad Vohra had said that they were making efforts to improve conditions of the zoo adding that more animals will be added in the coming months.

However, the bears were kept in a hollow cement cage as opposed to being kept in conditions similar to its natural habitat.

Removed from their natural habitat and forced to spend time in cramped cages with deteriorating cleanliness conditions, it seems like all hope is lost for animals at Karachi zoo.

A number of animals including three newborn Puma cubs and a Bengal tiger have been reported dead in the recent past.

On February 2, this year, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had issued orders to renovate it and bring it on par with the best zoos around the world.

“The Karachi Zoo must be made even better than the Singapore Zoo,” he said at a meeting called today especially to discuss the condition of the zoo.

"If an expert is needed to be called from Singapore [for work on the zoo] then do so," the chief minister ordered the officials.