KARACHI, May 20: The macaw recently found dead in its enclosure is not the only bird that gave in to hostile conditions at the zoo as inquiries reveal that at least 15 large birds have died at the facility in a little more than a year, it emerged on Monday.

Bird mortalities included that of a Moluccan cockatoo (a member of cockatoo family), eight owls, a pair of king parrots, a cassowary and a Martial eagle (a large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa). Most of these birds came in as a ‘donation’ to celebrate the facility’s first zoo day on Feb 28 last year.

“The green-winged macaw recently reported dead was among the donated animals which included a large number of fish, snakes and a python,” said former director of the zoo Bashir Saddozai while clarifying a media report that stated that the macaw had been at the zoo for more than two decades.

“This large donation helped us open the fish aquarium and reptile house at the zoo which had been closed for a long time. There is still a plaque at the facility showing the zoo day’s opening by a former Karachi Metropolitan Corporation administrator,” he said.The market value of the donated animals, according to Mr Saddozai, was about Rs2.5m at that time. He, however, could not explain the death of many of these animals and maintained that the deaths took place when he was not the director as he was transferred from the zoo after he had served it for a few months.

The birds that could survive only a day at the zoo, according to the sources, were owls. Initially, they said, two pairs of owls were ‘donated’ to the zoo, which were replaced by a single pair after their death. The new pair, too, died within three days of their arrival. Subsequently another pair was brought in.

“The pair met with the same fate. It’s ironic, but a reality. We have no expertise in handling owls. Besides, I believe the birds couldn’t adjust in small cages as they were used to living at a large aviary,” a zoo staffer told Dawn.

A visit to the bird cages at the zoo showed a lone Moluccan cockatoo (also known as the Salmon-crested cockatoo) confined to a small place. Adjacent to it was a green-winged macaw perched on a piece of wood. Though pairs of African grey parrots and blue-and-golden macaws were still there, the owls’ cage was empty.

Zoo officials did not deny the deaths but refused to confirm on record. They said they believed that much of the zoo’s woes were caused by financial constraints.

“Even if we are given 10pc of the Rs50 million revenue being earned by the zoo, the conditions here would be much different. The administrator had given an order that 25pc of the zoo revenue be spent on the facility, but that directive is yet to be implemented,” a zoo official said.