LAHORE: The bears at Jallo Park Zoo will be shifted to Bansra Gali temporarily till their enclosure was completely constructed, said the director general of wildlife and parks.

Sohail Ashraf, while talking to Dawn, said that the Jallo zoo was undergoing many modifications under a Punjab government project, which began a couple of years ago. The bears’ facility was also being upgraded through construction and larger moats.

He said there were over 1,000 other animals at this zoo as well and they would not be moved contrary to what was being floated on social media. Various people posing as wildlife experts were spreading false information about the zoo being closed down and the entire animal population being shifted. “It is ridiculous to think that the entire population can be moved, especially since it is no easy task,” he added.

“The management may be moving the bears by next week depending on the weather conditions.”

He said the bears could not be given general anaesthesia and then shifted in extremely hot weather as it could be fatal for them.

The project, he claimed, was 80 per cent complete, but funds for the remaining 20pc had been stopped and they were in talks with the government to release them.

Meanwhile, Hasan Ali Sukhera, the Lahore Zoo director, claimed that lately there was a systematic propaganda against the department on social media. “We do not know who is behind this, but it is not true,” he told Dawn. He added they had also been apprehending those spreading false news.

“Our animal experts have advised us about the dangers linked to unnecessary movement as well as because of general anaesthesia. Even if the bears are not shifted they will be in very good conditions here.”

Sukhera claimed that all animals in the Lahore facilities were doing well and breeding. Only recently, 13 black bucks were born, while at the Lahore Zoo the white lioness was also expecting a litter, he added.

Dr Uzma Khan from WWF Pakistan said that she had seen the conditions of the Lahore-based facilities and it was true that most of the facilities in Pakistan needed improvement. But credit should be given where it was due. The WWF was also trying its best to have some zoo standards approved.

“We need zoo legislation, a zoo authority and standards that we have been advocating for a very long time,” she said. “Once a benchmark is established, the conditions are controlled. At present, however, I would say that the department has genuinely been making an effort to make everything as comfortable for the animals as possible during the construction.”

Dr Khan said that some people were advocating for the animals –particularly the bears – to be shifted to Balkasar Sanctuary, but in truth a comparatively smaller enclosure with more recreational activities would result in happier bears rather than a larger but barren enclosure.

“As long as it’s an enriched three-dimensional space, the animals will be better off. Shifting animals around is not a solution,” she said.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2019