Himalayan bears leaving Islamabad Zoo for Jordan sanctuary
Suzie and Bubloo expected to return to Pakistan once their sanctuary is built
Islamabad: A few days after Pakistan’s beloved elephant Kaavan was transferred to Cambodia sanctuary, the two Himalayan brown bears, Suzie and Bubloo, are also set to depart to Jordan from Islamabad.
The bears are expected to return home once their sanctuary is built in Pakistan.
The wildlife authorities on Monday approved the relocation of the two brown bears - the last animals at the now-closed Islamabad Zoo.
In a joint statement, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and animal welfare organization Four Paws International confirmed the approval to rehabilitate the bears at a Jordan sanctuary run by Princess Alia Foundation where “Suzie and Bubloo will find a species-appropriate home and the proper care they urgently need.”
Meanwhile, an IWMB staff officer will accompany the bears to Jordan to receive training and the capacity building required for setting up a world-class wildlife sanctuary in Pakistan.
Animal welfare
Four Paws experts, who played a major role in making Kaavan’s safe relocation possible, thanked Pakistani authorities for putting animal welfare first. “We are happy that the Ministry of Climate Change and the IWMB took yet another decision in favour of animal welfare” they said. American businessman Eric S. Margolis, who also paid half the cost of Kaavan’s flight, is providing financial support for the rescue mission of the bears, Austria-based animal welfare group said.
Al Ma’wa for Nature and Wildlife, where the bears are being shifted, is jointly run by Princess Alia Foundation and Four Paws. Established in 2011, it offers conditions that best suit rescued animals. The 110-hectares facility contains two entities, the New Hope Centre, located in Amman, which serves as the main veterinary clinic, quarantine and rehabilitation facility for all confiscated and rescued wildlife and the Al Ma’wa Wildlife Reserve, located in Jerash.
With most of the animals shifted to different sanctuaries and wildlife parks where they have begun a new life, the 33-hectares Islamabad Zoo premises will now be transformed into a state-of-the-art wildlife conservation centre.
The decision has been taken in light of the Islamabad High Court’s landmark judgment related to the welfare of animals and the overarching policy of the government to protect environment and wildlife species under of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s clean and green program, IWMB officials said.
The first-of-its-kind conservation centre “will be a home for local wildlife species and rescued animals to be kept in open enclosures” which will include wildlife sanctuaries, a vet hospital, rescue and trauma centre for indigenous species, said Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam.