LAHORE: Asiatic black bear is an endangered species across the region and has been usually used for baiting though the practice has seen a decline over the years.

However, the treatment meted out to a pair of black bears at Jallo Wildlife Park raises several questions on wildlife captivity at government-run facilities. The two male Asiatic black bears were shifted to the park three years ago from Balkasar bear sanctuary in Chakwal.

At the Jallo park, these bears were living in a moat constructed in 1978. The space had become insufficient for them and there was no grass, tree, shrubs or any activity for the animals.

In 1995 when Zahid Bhatti -- a retired wildlife officer -- was the assistant director at Jallo Wildlife Park, a bear jumped out of the moat after it was filled with rainwater. Bhatti recalls: “Those were difficult times; there was not much awareness on the subject and wildlife has never been a priority of the government.”

He further said that in the ‘70s there was a concept of cages after which moats were built that had now given way to enclosures, which are quite capacious for animals. There was a dire need for large enclosures for such big animals instead of moats, he suggested.

Wildlife Lahore Region Deputy Director Zafar Shah is optimistic in this regard. “The two black bears are living a good life. They are healthy and happy as we have improved their moats,” he claimed.

When told that wildlife experts believe the moats are not spacious enough to hold large animals such as bears, Mr Shah said a three-year project that started in 2016 was being executed as ‘Improvement and Development of Jallo Safari Park’. It included new enclosures for bears as well as other facilities. He admitted that the bears would have to stay in the moat for some more time as there were no other enclosures at Jallo park for them.

Zoo Director Hassan Ali Sukhera told Dawn that the bears could not be shifted to the zoo as “we already have five bears here as well as at the zoo safari”.

A wildlife official requesting anonymity said that Jallo Wildlife Park did not care about the fact that animals needed to be kept in pairs of a male and female for mating. He also said that the government was constructing enclosures for bears as the old ones could not cater to their needs.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2018