Islamabad Zoo
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Islamabad Zoo ( ur, ), previously Marghazar Zoo, was an
zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...
in
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
. It was opened in 1978, and was under the administration of
Capital Development Authority A Capital Development Authority is a special sort of entity found in various countries that is concerned with the municipal development of the capital city or capital territory of that country. Examples include: *Capital Development Authority (Isla ...
of Pakistan before its closure in December 2020 due to its mistreatment of animals. In May 2020, the
Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad District Court (West) Justice Aamer Far ...
ruled to transfer management of the park and its non-human species to the
Islamabad Wildlife Management Board Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) is a Pakistani government body operating under the Ministry of Climate Change. It is mandated to protect, manage, and conserve the Margalla Hills National Park as its legal custodian. It was set up in ...
and transfer all animals to shelters, and the board took administrative control in June 2021. A renovation of the zoo as a conservation centre is being planned.


History

The zoo started in 1978 as a refuge for
leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...
s,
spotted deer The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
, and
Indian gazelle The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...
found in the region, and was administered by
Capital Development Authority A Capital Development Authority is a special sort of entity found in various countries that is concerned with the municipal development of the capital city or capital territory of that country. Examples include: *Capital Development Authority (Isla ...
. Located at the foot of
Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayas, Himalayan foothi ...
, it soon gained popularity and became a part of the Japanese garden. An
aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...
was later constructed. The Capital Development Authority devised a plan in August 2008 to upgrade and extend the zoo as a recreational area and wildlife sanctuary. The estimated cost of the project was 1407.8 million
Pakistani rupee The Pakistani rupee ( ur, / ALA-LC: ; sign: Re (singular) and Rs (plural); ISO code: PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan since 1948. The coins and notes are issued and controlled by the central bank, namely State Bank of Pakistan. In ...
s. In February 2019, Minister of State for Climate Change
Zartaj Gul Zartaj Gul (Pashto, ur, ) is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Climate Change, in Imran Khan ministry between 5 October 2018 and 10 April 2022 after Imran Khan was ousted by No-confidence motion against Imran Khan. She ...
told a
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
committee that she has requested the government to hand over the control to the
Islamabad Wildlife Management Board Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) is a Pakistani government body operating under the Ministry of Climate Change. It is mandated to protect, manage, and conserve the Margalla Hills National Park as its legal custodian. It was set up in ...
for better management of the zoo and care of the animals. Gul said, “The zoo needs to be returned from the MCI to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board that has qualified individuals and trained caretakers.” In May 2020, the closure of the zoo was ordered by the court.


Controversies

In September 2016, the 32 year-old
Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...
named
Kaavan Kaavan ( ur, ; born 1985) is a male Asian elephant known as the "world's loneliest elephant" since his partner, 22-year-old Saheli, died in 2012. Kaavan was gifted by the government of Sri Lanka to Pakistan in 1985. He remained at the Islamaba ...
, turned mentally ill due to being chain bound for the last two decades. The neglect spawned international attention, and there was a #SaveKavaan hashtag on social media. The zoo consequently decided to send Kavaan to his homeland of
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. In July 2017, four
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
cubs died due to keepers giving them high intakes of Welmingnch milk instead of a lioness' milk. Later in 2017, a male
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are ...
died due to negligence of the zoo staff. In August 2018, six deer were mauled by a wolf at an extension of the zoo. The zoo was also criticised for the insufficient or bad quality of food, the small cages they are put in, and their poor health. On 21 May 2020, the
Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad District Court (West) Justice Aamer Far ...
ordered that the elephant
Kaavan Kaavan ( ur, ; born 1985) is a male Asian elephant known as the "world's loneliest elephant" since his partner, 22-year-old Saheli, died in 2012. Kaavan was gifted by the government of Sri Lanka to Pakistan in 1985. He remained at the Islamaba ...
should be immediately relocated to a different sanctuary following a four-year campaign by popular pop singer
Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
since 2016 demanding for the release of Kaavan from Islamabad Zoo. On December 1, 2020, Kaavan arrived at an wildlife sanctuary in
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
.


Renovation

In 2021, the climate change ministry of Pakistan began planning a $7.5 million rehabilitation of the zoo. All animals were temporarily relocated to sanctuaries. The ministry intends to establish the zoo as a conservation centre, with facilities to treat and rehabilitate injured wildlife. The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board took administrative control of the zoo on 24 June 2021. File:Pelican isb.jpg File:Rhino photo.jpg File:Wolf Islamabad Pakistan.jpg File:Zebra in Islamabad, Bhurban Pakistan.jpg File:ELEPHANT IN ISLAMABAD ZOO.jpg


See also

*
List of zoos in Pakistan This is a list of zoos, aviaries, aquaria, safari parks, reptile centers, animal theme parks and wildlife parks in Pakistan. For a list of botanical gardens, see List of botanical gardens in Pakistan. Public zoos * Bahria Town Zoos, Lahore ...
*
Capital Development Authority A Capital Development Authority is a special sort of entity found in various countries that is concerned with the municipal development of the capital city or capital territory of that country. Examples include: *Capital Development Authority (Isla ...
*
Margalla hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayas, Himalayan foothi ...
*
Daman-e-Koh Daman-e-Koh ( ur, ) is a viewing point and hill top garden north of Islamabad and located in the middle of the Margalla Hills. Its name is a conjunction of two Persian words, which together means foot hills. It is about 2400 ft from sea lev ...
*
Pir Sohawa Pir Sohawa (ٗUrdu:پیر سوہاوہ)is a rapidly developing tourist resort located from Islamabad on top of Margalla Hills. It has a 3000 plus ft elevation and is geographically part of Haripur District.On 6 January 2012, after almost six y ...


Notes


External links

{{authority control Islamabad Zoos in Pakistan Former zoos Zoos established in 1978 Zoos disestablished in 2020 2020 disestablishments in Pakistan