The zoo was closed after the May 27 blast outside the adjacent Rescue 15 building. Mr Shah told Dawn the zoo had been closed under government instructions.

LAHORE The Lahore Zoo will remain closed at least for a week for security reasons, says its director Zafar Shah.

The zoo was closed after the May 27 blast outside the adjacent Rescue 15 building. Mr Shah told Dawn the zoo had been closed under government instructions.

Answering a question about the revenue loss, Mr Shah said the daily income of the zoo was around Rs45,000. “Going by this figure, the one-week loss will be over Rs300,000.” He said four to five thousand people visited the zoo each day.

About security measures at the zoo, the director said the government wanted a comprehensive security for which steps were being taken.

Zoo management committee vice-chairman Tauqeer Shah said the zoo had been closed on the orders of law-enforcing agencies. He, however, gave a much higher figure about one week revenue loss which, according to him, would be around Rs700,000.

Shah said one should be mindful of the fact that with daily visitors, which were around 10,000 to 12,000, many schools also visited the zoo everyday.

He said security would be enhanced before its reopening. “We cannot say that the zoo will reopen in a week because the closure is for till further orders,” the vice-president said.