KARACHI, March 21: A pair of American lion, called Puma Concular or Cugar, was inducted in the city government’s zoological gardens.

It was for the first time in the 134-year history of the zoo that a puma lion which is mostly found in the high mountains of Florida, California and Canada has been introduced.

According to the City Nazim’s Coordinator for Zoological Gardens and Safari Park, Dr Faiyyaz Alam, the puma lion which is also known as cugar or mountain lion belongs to the cat family and can easily leap on trees.

Having an average age of 18 years, the animal which has been bought for Rs1.15 million, through a tender, eats meat, he added.

Giving details of the animals which did not exist in the Zoological Gardens, he said that the Zoo was without rhino since 1992 and giraffe since 1984 while the 75-year-old elephant ‘Anarkali’, which was inducted in the Zoo in 1948, had already outlived her life.

“In fact, it has become nearly impossible to import exotic animals, especially tigers, lions, elephants, giraffe, big cats, rhinoceros, etc. in the wake of a ban imposed under CITES Convention held in Washington,” he said, adding that the city government had recently floated tenders for purchasing rhino, lions, monkeys and elephants, etc.