KARACHI: Authorities at the Karachi Zoological Gardens on Saturday refused to allow an art protest intended to highlight the plight of Himalayan bear Rano, and press for the need to free and send her to a sanctuary.

A zoo staffer claimed that the organisers of the event did not obtain requisite permission from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

The protest in the form of Bear Art Day containing art-related activities was planned on the zoo premises by the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (Paws). However, the zoo authorities did not allow members of Paws or the young artists who had assembled both inside the zoo and outside its Gate 4 to enter or initiate their work.

Mahera Omer, co-founder of Paws, arrived around 11.30am but she, too, was not allowed to get in.

Talking to Dawn, one of the staff members at the zoo, who was reluctant to speak on the record, said that Paws needed the permission of the KMC’s media wing for such a gathering, which it didn’t have. “We don’t have any such ‘intimation’ so we can’t permit them.”

A bunch of young art students had by that time assembled on the premises. One of them was Hafsa, from the visual studies department at the University of Karachi. “Our teacher had told us that we come here to study drawings and to raise awareness about Rano.

Their teacher Ahsan said, “It’s a public place. They have seen our drawing boards, so not allowing us to enter. They’re not letting us go closer to Rano’s cage. Our government says we’re a free nation. If we’re here to draw, I don’t think we need permission for it. As art students, you’re allowed to study nature. Also, we have paid for the ticket to enter.”

Ms Omer was not immediately available for comment.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2023