Lahore Zoo still needs a lot of Improvement!
Pakistan Times National News Desk

LAHORE: The Lahore Zoo, a sole resort for Lahorites and people around the district, is still in need of improvement though, there are a large number of people enjoying the new look given to the zoo in the last couple of months but many remarked that there is always room for improvement, Pakistan Observer got public opinions while conducting a survey here the other day.

Established in 1872, the Lahore Zoo is spread over an area of 24 acres and currently hosts 1375 species. A plaque near the entrance to the zoo reads, “The aviary was presented to the Municipal Committee of Lahore by Lala Mela Ram in March 1872.”

Recently, certain parts of it have undergone a facelift. The walkways have been paved with tiles and some alterations have been made to the animal enclosures making them more comfortable for animals and more attractive for visitors.

The open area near the lions’ cages has been covered with pebbles. Fresh plants have been added to the landscape. And not just that, some technological innovations have been made in the zoo as well such as the installation of ten close circuit cameras and the sound system for the security and improvement in the overall environment of the place.

The zoo is earning good profit—gate money, leasing out of the parking lot and the canteen —, according to the zoo officials. But a few visitors PO came across appeared less impressed with the improvements. To them, for instance, benches for the visitors and availability of clean potable water were basic requirements that have not been fulfilled. A few visitors pointed to heaps of litter.

There were others who complained that the zoo had an unbearable stink, particularly in area around lion cages. “Can’t they do something about this stink?,” asked Arshad Qureshi, a visitor from Lahore, as he stood in front of the tigers’ cages. “It is so nauseating.”

“This is the second time I am visiting the zoo. I first came here as a schoolboy some years ago. Except for a few minor changes, everything is exactly as it was,” he said. The conditions the zoo animals are kept in an issue with the visitors.

These days it is the elephant who has become the target of their comments. “Is it sick?” asked a child with curiosity. “Is it sleeping?” The zoo was full of such curious souls, not only from Lahore, but also from other parts of the country. “We are enjoying this visit a lot,” said a happy Mukarram Shah, a student of 2nd year pre-engineering at the Government Degree College, Fiasalabad. “There is no zoo in Faisalabad. We had heard a lot about the Lahore Zoo and it was time we visited it. It is a very interesting place.”

When this scribe contacted the Director Lahore Zoo, he said that these were minor problems which should not be blown out of proportion. He elaborated on how the management of the zoo was run—without any government subsidy. “We have an annual budget of approximately Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) for the zoo. Of this about one crore and 80 lakh rupees are spent on the maintenance and salaries of the zoo staff.

The staff consists of two officials in grade 18, two in grade 17 and two in grade 16. The rest are working in junior positions.”

“The number of visitors to the Lahore Zoo has increased by 60,000 than the last year due to improvement in amusement facilities resulting in record income generation. In 2003, 28 lakh people visited zoo while in 2004 the figure has reached 286,0000,” he pointed out. He informed that record 261,386 people visited zoo in July and their number was 317,661 in August this year.

This is why we are considering to expand the zoo by buying some land from the Jinnah Gardens and including it in the zoo,” he added. The raise in the entry fee from Rs 7 to Rs 10 is not a big increase in his view, “Ours are more or less the same rates as that of the Lahore Fort or Jehangir’s tomb,” he said. On the health of the zoo inmates, he said “the Veterinary Research Institute, Lahore, works in collaboration with the zoo doctors in conducting research and treating the seriously ill animals.”

The director said the elephant will no more be used for a fun ride. “People ask us if they can hire the elephant for wedding ceremonies. But we have decided that there will be no more elephant rides even inside the zoo as this is against the principles of wild life conservation,” he said. “We have prepared a master plan for the zoo. In addition to what we have already done, we are going to do some landscaping. We will build a jungle cafe, a chimpanzee house, and a bird’s aviary,” he informed.●