ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday directed Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz to take steps to protect animals in Islamabad zoo.

The Senate committee, which met at the Parliament House with Senator Rehman Malik in the chair, also discussed the alarming death of animals in Marghazar Zoo and its poor condition.

Senator Javed Abbasi raised the issue of poor condition of zoo and death of animals.

The committee chairman directed the mayor to improve facilities in the zoo.

The mayor, however, said Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) had no funds to upgrade the facility.

To this, the committee chairman asked the interior ministry, under which MCI falls, to arrange funds. During the last 15 days, seven nilgais had died in the zoo.

Sources said on Monday, a deer also died and its body was shifted for postmortem.

An MCI official said it was expected that postmortem and other reports of nilgais will be shared with MCI.

He, however, said that besides cold weather and negligence of staff, some internal rifts among employees could also be blamed for the animals’ death.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2019