Court probes Islamabad Zoo’s animal deaths

Islamabad: The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah on Wednesday directed officials of the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) to conduct a thorough inquiry into the deaths of animals that has become a consistent feature of Margazar Zoo (Islamabad Zoo).

Dr Nadeem Umar on behalf of his organisation, Centre for Culture and Development, had moved a petition through Advocate Owais Awan regarding adverse conditions of animals at the zoo.

Later, the petitioner moved a contempt petition against the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad for not handing over the zoo’s administrative affairs to the Climate Change Ministry despite court orders.

While hearing a petition, Justice Minallah described the situation at the zoo as alarming. He restored its director Rana Tahir to his former position and directed him to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in a week’s time to the court detailing the factors behind the death and deterioration of the only zoo in Islamabad.

Tahir was earlier facing contempt of court proceedings over not transferring the zoo affairs to the Climate Change Ministry but on Wednesday the court not only cleared him of the charges but also assigned him the task to look into the matter.

The court directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) not to meddle with the inquiry at any stage.

Addressing the zoo director, the chief justice of the IHC said: “The court has heard that you are an honest official and we value the honest officers.”

Tahir brought to the court’s notice that the influence of workers’ unions against postings and transfers in the zoo were two main reasons of the adverse conditions there.

Whenever a colleague is transferred to the zoo, they either go on strike or influence the administration to revoke it. This leaves little room for the administration to take corrective measures, said Tahir.

The court while expressing surprise at the overall situation inquired whose union was influencing the administrative affairs of the zoo. “It is something alarming as animals’ lives and well-being are at stake,” said Justice Minallah. He directed the inquiry officer to bring to the court’s notice all those names that were influencing the zoo administration in the name of a union.

Last month, three urials died within seven days of each other. The death of animals and birds is a non-stop, ongoing feature of the Islamabad Zoo as during the last five years more than two dozen creatures have died at Margazar Zoo, including lion cubs, zebras, urial nilgais (blue bulls) and deer.

In July this year, a brown bear injured its leg and face. The deaths have continued even after the Ministry of Climate Change took over the zoo from the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), with a chingara (gazelle), hog deer, black buck, kalij (pheasant), peacock and golden pheasant dying in the previous three months.