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| May 17, 2005 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1426 |
A zoo not worth visiting
RAHIM YAR KHAN, May 16: The Wildlife Park, which is the only zoological garden in the district, hardly attracts people owing to lack of facilities. Established by the Punjab Wildlife Department in 1986 over 15.5 acres on the Katcha Sadiqabad Road, the zoo was meant for breeding of different animals and birds, and providing the people with recreation.
As expected, the WLP enhanced the market value of the road. It proved to be a reasonable breeding spot for animals and birds, but could not attract people owing to shortage of facilities.
A survey recently conducted by Dawn reveals that the WLP’s boundary wall has not been completed even in the last more than a decade. Besides, its benches are broken and joggers tracks still unbricked.
There are too few cages and that, too, broken. Nor are there any swings or any other facility for children.
Yet another reason that keeps the people away from the spot is the dilapidated road stretching over at least six kilometres.
When contacted, wildlife officer Naveed Tariq told this correspondent that the zoo curators were successfully breeding animals and birds in the beginning. However, he said, shortage of funds had forced them to shift a number of animals and birds to zoological gardens in Lahore and Bahawalpur.
“Around 25 deer, 18 blue cows, eight monkeys, seven spotted bucks, four white peacocks and a baboon are all the local zoo has to entertain people.”
He said the wildlife department had provided only Rs410,000 to the WLP since its establishment, which were insufficient.
He said the lawns of the zoo had been dried up because it was situated at the tail-end of the canal whose water is not available. As for availability of potable water, he said the visitors could not get it because the subsoil water here was declared unfit by laboratory tests.
He suggested if the WLP was shifted to any of the Khanpur, bypass or Abu Dhabi roads near the city, people could be provided with better facilities and entertainment.
He said once the late Sheikh Zayed announced funds for the WLP, but an influential figure utilized those funds on an animal farm near the Abu Dhabi palace.
He said the curators would get the cages repaired and bring lions and other animals and birds back to the zoo.
The wildlife officer said the district government had sought Rs5.5 million funds from the provincial authorities for the proper maintenance of the WLP.
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