58 Animals Died in the Lahore Zoo in Pakistan

Condemned to Die of Neglect

A ZOO is not the same as the wild. Even when zoo animals get living conditions as closely resembling their natural habitats as can be made possible by their human keepers, some things will always remain amiss. For one, proximity to human beings, purported to be the primary function of every zoo, exposes animals to the dangers this closeness can visit upon them. Consider water supplies contaminated by sewage and industrial effluent, the hazards of indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides, and the dangers posed by the ubiquitous polythene shopping bags. Add to it a conspicuous lack of veterinary care and what you get is a picture of a zoo in Lahore, or for that matter anywhere in Pakistan.

So the news report that at least 58 animals died in a city zoo recently has hardly raised any eyebrows. The number may be exaggerated, as some zoo officials have claimed. But denying an inflated death toll is one thing and claiming that all is well at the zoo quite another. Even these officials are reported to have admitted that the animals are putting up with physical conditions far from ideal. Most of the water pumps at the zoo are not working, animal feed is either inadequate or substandard and no qualified veterinarian is available to treat ailing animals. The fact that the victims of this maltreatment cannot even complain makes their plight all the more miserable. Unless they get what they urgently need — suitable living environs — to make their lives bearable, they will keep dying in silence. The zoo keepers need to realise that the place under their charge is as much about animals as it is about human beings. An unkempt zoo is not only dangerous for its wild inhabitants, it is also uninviting for its human visitors. Who wants to visit a zoo inhabited by a few ill-kept animals?