KARACHI, July 20: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has urged the Sindh Wildlife Department that a few animals of the species endemic to area be provided for the city zoos, it is learnt.
According to the sources, the zoos in the city have been demanding of the department to provide these with mammals, reptiles and birds, for nearly a couple of years. The first such request was made on Nov 8, 2001 — with a long list of animals that were required.
The sources said that a large number of zoo visitors were surprised to see many animals of exotic species — from far off places like the South America and Australia — in the zoo, but they could hardly find any local species in the enclosures.
The sources said that department had given 10 crocodiles — two males and eight females — to the zoo in January 2002, and some of them had bred in the zoo, showing that the animals were being taken care of and had been provided with suitable habitat.
The sources alleged that being government entities, both the zoo and the department, were not really interested in the issue as the transaction of animals involved no funds.
The sources said that some time back the zoo had purchased a few bears from the local traders and paid them hundreds of thousands of rupees. Trading in bears, an endangered species, is banned in the province. The trader had so many wild bears available with him that when the zoo rejected one of the cubs, the trader replaced it, within a couple of days, with other ones. The zoo officials, despite repeated requests from the newsmen had not given the name and address of the trader involved in illegal wildlife trade.
Similarly, the wildlife department had also given many animals of different species — black bucks, crocodiles, etc — to some influential people, and some government houses in Islamabad and Karachi, the sources said.
The Nazim in his letter to the wildlife conservator has said that it had been observed during the past decades that the zoos were the best captive breeding centres and had played a vital role in conservation of wild animals and for wildlife research.
The letter says there are approximately 115 species comprising over 1,610 animals — exotic as well endemic — housed at the city zoo and safari park. These animals are successfully breeding and the results during the past five years are remarkably encouraging, particularly in local species — Desert Gazelle, Nilgai, Blackbuck and Blue Peacock etc.
The Nazim says that unfortunately majority fo the species kept at the zoo are exotic ones and the foreigners as well as the local visitors love to see the species endemic to Pakistan, alongwith exotic ones.
The letter says that both the city zoos and the safari park have enough space, cages and animal enclosures, besides skilled staff, technical facilities with well-equipped hospital, quarantine and x-rays facilities for the animals.
The Nazim points out that since there is a ban on trading of the indigenous species due to their dwindling status, the zoo is not in a position to purchase them from local market. The letter urges the department to provide the indigenous species to the zoo for the conservation and research purposes.
A list of the required animals which has been sent with the letter include: Hog Deer (5 males, 5 females); Python (2 males and 2 females); Hyena (2 males and 2 females); Urial (5 males and 5 females); Jackal (2 males and 2 females); Fox (two males and two females); Stork Painted (two males and two females).
Responding to the Dawn queries, Sindh Wildlife Conservator Muneer Ahmad Awan said that the department had given the zoo 10 crocodiles some time back. Their request for more animals was being considered and a decision in that regard would be taken soon.
He said that the animals that had been requested were not readily available with the department and some of these might have to be caught from the wild, so strategy was being evolved as to how these animals could be made available to the zoos so that the people visiting the zoo, besides watching the exotic wildlife could see the local species also.