KARACHI: A young chimpanzee was found dead in its enclosure at Karachi Zoological Gardens on Monday morning.

Sources told Dawn the chimpanzee, named Raju, was under treatment for some illness. The male chimp was around 15 to 16 years old and was living together with two mates for four to five months, they said.

The zoo administration, however, denied the information about Raju’s illness and age and claimed it had a sudden death due to a heart attack.

“He wasn’t sick at all and was seen very much active two hours before passing away,” zoo vet Dr Amir Ismail said, adding that Raju was 26 to 27 years old.

According to him, a post-mortem examination has shown that the chimp has died of a heart attack and that his other vital organs were in normal condition.

Zoo doctor says Raju wasn’t obese and had no signs of any heart-related ailment

When asked to explain how a seemingly healthy chimp in young age could suffer a fatal heart attack and whether the animal was obese or had any other risk factors for heart-related illness, Dr Ismail replied in the negative.

“Raju wasn’t obese and there were no signs of any heart-related illness or any other ailment or distress in the weeks leading up to his death. As relatively young and fit humans can suffer a heart attack, chimps can also experience this phenomenon,” he insisted.

The zoo, he said, was now left with two female chimps.

According to sources, Raju was shifted to the zoo from Safari Park in 2014 after its mate, Babli, died of acute pneumonia within a few months of their arrival at the facility in 2013.

The chimpanzees — Pan troglodytes — were ‘donated’ by a businessman to the then Safari Park administration, which accepted the gift without seeking information about the conservation status of the species and looking into the donor’s credentials.

It’s important to mention here that the chimpanzee with four confirmed subspecies is listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List as an endangered species.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Fauna regulations and laws, chimpanzees are classified as an Appendix 1 species, completely banning their trade and parts, except in rare cases such as scientific research.

It is learnt that chimpanzees have been known to live to around 70 years old in captivity. However, the average lifespan of a chimp in the wild is around 40 years.

“Poor veterinary care is the major reason behind animal mortalities and disease at the Karachi Zoo and Safari Park. Besides, animals removed from their natural habitats and social structures are forced to live in artificial, stressful and dull and boring conditions that have a profound negative impact on their well-being,” a senior wildlife official shared.

He added that currently the zoo and Safari Park were also facing an acute shortage of staff.

He regretted that there had been no sincere effort to improve quality of animal life over the years at these facilities either by the provincial government responsible for making appointments and controlling key resources and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which officially ran facilities for captive animals in the city.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2023