By: Asem Mustafa Awan
ISLAMABAD: Himalayan brown bear pair had their prayers answered and Four Paws International was there to their rescue from the condemned hell hole for the animals, ‘the Islamabad Zoo’.
The cruel and hopeless facility is now officially shut, thanks to Kavaan which made sure that no other creature should suffer like he has. Over three decades of captivity in an environment that made the happy and playful yearling in a tearful state will no longer have people who made money at the expense of dead animals.
Islamabad Zoo has been in news for years and nothing was done since long as government with paucity of funds and people at the helm of affairs never wanted to shut the money minting facility.
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It was Kaavan’s plight added with international shame and national disgrace, the facility was finally shut down and that too on court orders, which was approached to seek justice for the voiceless creatures which paid the price in the form of their lives to move the court.
The unprecedented animal death toll in the ‘appalling zoo’ made regular news and finally when it made the global impact the government had no option left but to make amends.
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Since 1978 the zoo has been a regular contributor, though the money earned and money spent can be debated as figures if matched will always differ. It is not the gate money, the other money making inroads include illegal selling of exotic birds and animals which happens to be passion of the elite besides sale of provisions for the animals.
The doomed zoo has many an animals’ death to its name as, it has people who made it to the government jobs either by graft or by connections and were never the right people for the job.
These sadistic people over the years finding it no way out, carried out their anger against the animals who suffered at their hands and had no one to speak for them. Their pleas stayed unheard and they die slowly in meeting ‘their maker’ along with the news item.
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Kaavan the lone elephant somehow for over three decades of captivity, refused to die from their hands and carried on living though it is heard and rumoured that Kaavan’s ivory tusks were an item for which many had set their eyes on. At 30 years, the tusks for Kaavan should have been more but it is presumed they were cut and clipped yearly for ‘safety’. The ivory clippings over the years are a mystery as where did they end up and with whom they were stashed.
The unending murdering spree at Islamabad Zoo has come to an end as all the four pawed animals are now gone and last two Himalayan brown bears Bubloo and Suzi are on their way to Jordan according to news made available with this correspondent.
Kaavan has landed in Cambodia and is recuperating from torture he suffered for over three decades in the zoo which is now shut for good.
Kaavan came as yearling from Sri Lanka as a ‘presidential gift’ but left the country on ‘presidential pardon’ after serving three decades of torture and abuse. Kaavan’s chained legs and his video of bobbing head for hours are all on social media which speak volumes of people who are at the helm of affairs.
Islamabad Zoo the ‘hell hole for animals’ is finally shut, is the news that had been awaited since long but official rigmaroles made it impossible for its immediate closure and many an animals sacrificed their lives for big wigs who viewed the facility only for minting money, from people of Pakistan who have very little or no entertainment at all.
The exact count of dead animals and stolen animals is an ‘untold secret’ which will never see the day lights how many of these exotic animals ended in elite private farm houses who in order to fleece more start their own private side businesses to make more money in their unending lust for money.
The law of the land does exist and Kaavan’s plight should have been an open and shut case but Kaavan spend years in getting the release order from court.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah turned out to be savior for him who ordered in May to relocate all the animals from the Islamabad Zoo which has doled out dead bodies of animals on regular basis over the time.
The lion pair died in their relocation and inquiry report is still awaited and no one has been named. The incompetent staff at the zoo had no knowledge and skills to handle the creatures. The creatures were killed and it was a clear message that a price will be made to make them leave the ‘hell hole’. Peshawar provincial metropolis of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa opened up a facility in 2018 and 30 animals died within months after its inauguration which included three cubs of endangered snow leopard.
American actress Cher flew in specially to see Kaavan and met with Prime Minsiter Imran Khan and then she was there in Cambodia to receive the creature which turned out to be beacon of hope for voiceless creatures which died in misery due to incompetency and neglect.
The writer is Special Correspondent at the ‘The Dayspring’