Elephant Noor Jehan Is No More & More To Follow

Pakistan In Picture 

Asem Mustafa Awan

Elephant Noor Jehan, meaning the ‘light of the world’, is now no more. It has been days since she breathed her last on April 22, and publicity-hungry officials went from one end to another to raise hue and cry for the animal, which faced neglect for years. A critically ill elephant had help coming from international vets but they came too late, and Karachi Zoo simply had nothing in its fold to help the sick animal, which is not one but many.

Noor Jehan is now no more but soon to follow in her footsteps will be the 17-year-old blind lioness, who has for years been without any treatment at the same facility that is likely to get shut down. Karachi Zoo has animals dying on a regular basis, though the facility has always raised its ticket prices for visitors who, after seeing the caged creatures, are filled with heartache. There are tales that, if unearthed, will put the entire nation to shame, but malnourished and underfed animals tell it all about where their food is going.

The predicament of these voiceless creatures raises international uproar and the sadistic officials responsible for looking after the facilities thrive on these poor animals as their plight generates fat purses in the form of donations. The contractors who supply food in the zoo have their bills pending, while the zoo officials have a lifestyle that doesn’t match their earnings. It is no secret that a parallel black market exists for exotic animals and the creatures that are imported under licence from different countries end up in places where they shouldn’t be. The death of a rare white lion reduced to a skeleton in Karachi Zoo some time ago was a heart-breaking sight, and seeing it die due to neglect made headlines, but nothing happened. Yes, the skin has a price, along with the skull, nails, and teeth, and there are always buyers who thrive on dead carcasses.

The transfer of a lion pair from Islamabad on court orders resulted in their deaths as the people responsible for transferring them were not skilled enough to move them into their respective cages and the two ultimately died. Nothing happened afterwards, as it was business as usual, and no one was held responsible.

There is no second thought about the officials who have made it to these places through connections and are hell-bent on bringing misery to these caged creatures, which have no voice to register their pain and agony with their hands. It is their plight that makes people pay attention to them, and with luck, their mental state struck a chord or two, and there was an international uproar.

Kaavan, a presidential gift from Sri Lanka, spent three decades in captivity and was given a presidential pardon before getting relocated to Cambodia. He came as a yearling but left as a 30-year-old with many mental health issues. It is time that people who are appointed at the zoo get clearance from experts who specialise in animal care. It is believed what is left of the remaining species in Pakistan will soon go extinct, and these facilities at the prime locations will either get encroached upon or some powerful elite will acquire them on lease for commercial activity. Selling the dead is a phenomenon that has prevailed in the ‘land of the pure’ for a long time, and yes, it sells.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

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