Ayesha Omar, Ushna Shah call to abolish Karachi Zoo after lion dies

Ushna Shah and Ayesha Omar have called on authorities to abolish the Karachi Zoo after a rare white lion died of pneumonia there on Wednesday.

Pictures and videos of the African white lion in deplorable conditions led to widespread backlash against Zoo authorities.

Sharing the same visuals on Twitter, Ayesha wrote, “Mortified to find out how animals are being kept in the #KarachiZoo, apparently because of lack of funds.”

Ayesha, who visited Africa recently, also took to her Instagram on Thursday to pen down a long note against the maltreatment of animals in zoos.

“My heart is completely broken since I saw this photo of the African King who died at the Karachi Zoo yesterday… Just look at his state. It’s affecting me very deeply,” she said.

Referring to the Zoo authorities’ claims that they don’t have enough funds to feed the animals, Ayesha asked, “What is the solution? We either start funds for the animals again or these animals need to be released, sent back safely and the zoo, shut down.”

Actor Ushna Shah echoed her sentiments in her own Twitter rant against the Karachi Zoo’s deplorable conditions.

“Sadly, my country… is not morally equipped to run zoos,” she said, while a post she reshared on Instagram read, “Overall, Pakistan has shown its inability to take care of animals - be it street dogs or wildlife. The zoos should be abolished immediately."