LAHORE: The much-awaited trio of giraffes finally reached zoo, after the last mortality of a giraffe in 2015.
“It’s a happy moment for us,” said Director Lahore Zoo Hassan Ali Sukhera while talking to Dawn on Monday.
Mr Sukhera said giraffes were brought to the zoo at 2:30am and were shifted to their paddock by 7am. He said many improvements were carried out in giraffes’ enclosure, including its repair and disinfecting.
Giraffes, an all-time favourite animal with children, went through a 14-day quarantine period at their native place. Since the Lahore Zoo does not have any special area for quarantine; therefore the giraffes have directly been shifted to their enclosure.
The director said Rs19.9 million would be paid to the animal supplier after 30 days.
“ It’s a kind of quarantine,” said Sukhera adding that if during 30 days any of the giraffe dies or gets sick the supplier will be responsible. Giraffes, now without any quarantine process, are on public display at the zoo. He said seven zebras were also brought for the Bhakkar zoo.
The Lahore Zoo seems to be an unfortunate place for giraffes. After every two or three years a giraffe dies owing to one reason or the other.
Some seven or eight years ago, a giraffe died at the zoo after swallowing a plastic bag and another was killed by a zebra. A female giraffe got her neck crooked and finally died.
Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2018
