Lahore Zoo

Lahore Zoo



The Lahore Zoo in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, established in 1872, was once considered one of the largest zoos in Asia.

History

It started as a small aviary that was donated by Lal Mahundra Ram. Gradually it developed and its animal collection also increased, today the Zoo houses about 1381 animals of 136 species including 996 birds of 82 species, 49 reptiles of 08 and 336 mammals of 45 species. It remained under the management of Lahore Municipal Corporation from 1872 to 1923. Thereafter, its control was given to Deputy Commissioner, Lahore until 1962. Then its management was placed under the Livestock and Dairy Development Department. Finally the management of Lahore Zoo was entrusted to the Wildlife & Parks Department in 1982. During the period 1872 to 1982, it remained a small entity with very little development taking place. Since its transfer to Wildlife Department 1982 there have occurred a number of changes in housing the exhibits, layout of buildings, landscape pattern, administration etc with these initiative/development it become self-financing organization and now it is self-reliant. It is located in the heart of the city and is easily accessible to the people belonging to all walks of life. This zoo also contains a botanical garden.

Few efforts have been made to improve the living conditions of the animals in the zoo until recently. In May 2009, a high school student named Abrar Abidi pursued his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project at the zoo. His project aimed to significantly enhance the animals' behavioral and social atmosphere, through an addition of enrichments in their cages. He aimed to help the animals most in need, which were the: tigers, lions, primates, and otter. Abrar planned and gathered necessary materials over four months. Much of his resources were fabricated and donated by a materials engineer at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Once he had everything, he brought a group of his school friends to finally put the project to action. His project was covered widely by the Pakistani television stations and newspapers, and the affects of his project can still be seen today.
























LAHORE - Two white tigresses, currently ‘detained’ at the Lahore Zoo by the Customs Intelligence, are awaiting their status to be determined for the last four months, as it is believed that they have been smuggled into Pakistan from Indonesia in violation of international rules governing the import of rare species.
According to sources, an inquiry has also been launched by the government to ascertain whether or not the supplier had fulfilled all legal requirements before importing the animals, and if they actually belonged to the rare species of white tigers as claimed by the importer.
The Lahore Zoo management reportedly sought the necessary permission from the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW), Islamabad to import two female tigers from Indonesia, but only after the animals were brought to Pakistan by the supplier, Mr Javaid Khan of Marine World in February 2009.
The permission was granted from the date of its issuance, but it was withdrawn after some time when it was brought into the notice of the NCCW that the animals had already reached the country. The Council also called for a report on how the tigresses were brought to the country without its permission.
The idea to import white tigresses for the Lahore Zoo was to breed them with a white tiger, already there in the Zoo, to get white offspring. But experts believe that these white big cats are albino, not belonging to any particular species, and hence had got little chance of reproducing white children.
Informed sources in the Lahore Zoo told this scribe that Director General Wildlife & Parks Punjab notified a committee on November 24, 2008 to ensure the procurement of Zoo exhibits strictly in accordance with the specifications, terms and conditions, good health and pedigree. The said committee met on March 2, 2009 to discuss the purchase of white tigers and other issues. Abdul Qadeer Mehal, Director Wildlife & Parks Punjab was its chairman while Syed Tauqeer Hussain Shah, Vice-Chairman Zoo Maintenance Committee Muhammad Naeem Bhatti, Under Secretary (Wildlife) and Director Lahore Zoo were notified as members.
The insiders told The Nation that during the meeting the Director Lahore Zoo could not produce import documents of the white female tigers and informed the committee that supplier had not given the documents as yet. The Director was, therefore, advised to obtain all the relevant documents from the supplier, which include: bill of landing, custom clearance documents, export CITES permit from the country of origin, import CITES permit from the NCCW, detailed pedigree of the animals with pedigree of three generations and health certificate of the animals.



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