KARACHI, Aug 1: The management of Karachi zoo and some of its contractors are fleecing three million visitors, particularly children, by charging them more than the official rates.

Some of the tickets being sold do not have price printed on them, while some others carry enhanced rates. Tickets are issued at five places for various facilities: at the zoo entrance, the Garden Museum, at Fox Show, at Reptile House and for a “Ride on Elephant”. Tickets at the fox show and ride on the elephant are managed by the zoo authorities while the rest of the three sites are handled by contractors.

A visit to the zoo revealed that visitors, including children, are being charged Rs5 at the entrance while the official rate for children is Rs3. Entry fee at the Garden Museum is Rs2 for adults and Rs1 for the children, but contractors are charging a flat rate of Rs3 from everyone.

At the Reptile House, visitors are charged Rs3 each while the official rate for a child is Rs1 and for adults Rs2. However, on the tickets being given by the contractors, Rs3 has been mentioned.

Responding to Dawn queries, Zoo chief Dr Kazim confirmed all the official rates for entry to various places and for a ride on Anarkali. He said that zoo authorities would ensure that visitors are not overcharged. He agreed that at prominent places, notices mentioning ticket prices would be displayed.