KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Monday ‘partially modified’ its March 3 notification erroneously seeking investigation into the death of ‘lion’ instead of a golden tabby tiger housed at Karachi Zoo.

According to a notification issued on Monday, the KMC authorities have excluded a senior zoo expert who was part of a five-member probe committee notified on March 3.

The authorities replaced Dr Mansoor Qazi, the only zoo expert in the earlier notified committee, with Dr Zameer Khanzada heading the animal house at the Dow University of Health Sciences.

They also replaced Rashid Nizam, a grade-19 officer earlier tasked to head the committee, with senior director culture and sports Saif Abbas Hasani who, like Mr Nizam, has no experience in wildlife or the zoo.

Other members are: Dr Farhan Issani, senior veterinary officer at the livestock department; Dr Zulfiqar Odho, in charge of the Richmond Crawford Hospital; Dr Taj Muhammad, deputy director veterinary services at KMC.

Speaking to Dawn, an official says: “It seems that the KMC authorities lack the understanding that unlike humans, each and every animal species is different from the other.”

KMC reconstitutes committee, assigns terms of reference

“A livestock expert or a vet heading a facility where animals are reared and kept for experiments is not best suited to investigate the death of a big cat, that too, exotic and confined to a cage for a long time,” the official said: “There are vets in the city specialising in the treatment and care for wild animals held in captivity, who should have been included in the committee.”

Sources said that the latest notification still didn’t mention the proper name of the species — a golden tabby tiger — whose death would be investigated.

Earlier, the March 3 notification stated an inquiry being instituted into the death of a “lion”, reflecting officials’ ignorance and lack of seriousness in the matter.

“The competent authority, i.e. the administrator KMC, is pleased to constitute an enquiry committee comprising the following members for investigation/probe into the death of Tabby Tiger in Karachi zoo. KMC Recreation Department with the direction to submit a report within 15 days before the competent authority,” the new notification reads.

The sources said it’s important that notification on inquiries, such as this one, should carry correct and specific information about the inquiry’s subject.

“These big cats are either known as golden tigers, golden tabby tigers or strawberry tigers and not tabby tigers,” an official said, while appreciating inclusion of terms of reference (ToRs) in the notification.

The reconstituted committee, according to the notification, would examine the cause of ‘tabby tiger’s’ death, fix responsibility in this respect and suggest procedures to prevent animal deaths in future.

It would, the notification said, co-opt a member from the wildlife department ‘for betterment of the enquiry’.

The inquiry committee has been reconstituted after experts questioned the composition of the earlier committee and raised concerns over the language and content of the notification released on March 3.

The department is yet to make public the report of a post-mortem examination, which was carried out soon after the golden tiger’s death on March 2.

Contrary to official claims that the exotic tiger had “completed its age” in captivity and looked after well, the sources said that the tiger was 13 years old and apparently died due to lack of proper care.

It was the fourth big cat fatality at the zoo in three years. All these deaths had been officially blamed on the animals’ old age.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2023