RAWALPINDI: The 27-year-old Lohi Bher Wildlife Park, built as a leisure facility on the border of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, does not see many visitors because of its condition.

The park was established on 687 acres of forest land in 1992, along the Islamabad Expressway. It housed forest areas, a park and a lake, and was set up for the conservation of biological diversity and endangered wildlife.

However, indifference on the part of the Punjab government over the last 20 years has robbed the park of its attractions. A few animals, such as lions and bears, still remain, but the facility overall is in a state of disrepair.

With grass and shrubbery that has not been trimmed for years, the park’s gardens look more like forests. There are no flowerbeds and pathways on the premises either.

The road leading from the expressway to the park resembles a forest trail, and the potholes make it difficult to drive on.

The park itself is divided into two parts connected by a bridge, which collapsed more than five years ago and remains under construction.

The entrance to one portion is from the expressway, while the other one is accessible through the premises of the Korang Housing Scheme.

The park houses a few pairs of deer, some monkeys, three bears, three lions, pigeons, peacocks, parrots and a few other birds. Although the administration managed to bring in some ice for the lions and bears, the animals kept in cages appear weak because of a lack of food and care.

The infrastructure for a lake was also constructed in the park but was never utilised. Although it was built to provide boating facilities, the lake is now filled with stagnant water, tall grass and weeds.

The road to the lion safari is also dilapidated. The provincial government began work to rehabilitate the road and the lion enclosures, but it has taken months to complete.

A signboard at the park mentions zebras and nilgai, but the enclosures for both are empty. The artificial lake in the lion safari is also under construction, and any of the aviaries were vacant as well. There are also very few seating areas for visitors.

Last month, the Punjab Wildlife and Parks department began work to revive the Lohi Bher park and the lion safari, which remains in progress and will take more than a month.

Deputy Director Wildlife and Parks Nadeem Qureshi said a pair of 11-year-old lions and a five-year-old lioness were recently brought to the park from Lahore.

He said the department was working on improving the condition of cages to provide the lions and bears with food and water.

“The bears are brought out of their cages in the evening for their evening walk, under the supervision of experts,” he added.

Divisional Commissioner Saqib Zafar said he visited the site two weeks ago and “pointed out repair work.” He said the broken bridge, road and the condition of the park would be improved.

He added that the government was interested in improving the park and zoo to provide recreational facilities to the residents of the twin cities, as the park is ideally located.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2019