BAHAWALPUR: More than 90 animals, including lions, tigers and monkeys, have been shifted from Lahore to Bahawalpur zoo called Shair Bagh.

Wildlife Deputy Director Ali Usman Bokhari, the officiating zoo curator, told Dawn that 22 lions, two Bengal tigers, one each wolf and hyena, 21 baboons, four vervet monkeys, one oryx, and five red deer besides a number of birds were shifted here.

The curator said Shair Bagh has enough cages and space to accommodate newcomers from Lahore. He claimed that as the visitors had been critical of the empty cages at Shair Bagh during previous years, the move would help address complaints. He said the animals would stay here and had not been shifted because of upgrade of Lahore zoo.

It merits mentioning that the zoo did not have an elephant for long as the gifted elephant couple of late Nawab Bahawalpur died several years ago. The Punjab wildlife department could not import elephant despite allocation of funds for several times.

NOMINATIONS: The returning officers after scrutiny accepted the nomination papers of PTI candidate Samiullah Chaudhury from NA-168 and PP-254 (Bahawalpur city).

Samiullah Chaudhry, a former PTI minister, has been hiding since the May 9 mayhem.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2023