Pakistan Mulls Permanent Closure of Zoo Amid Economic Crisis

Mahouts feed elephant Noor Jehan at the Karachi Zoo in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 18, 2023. - Noor Jehan has been barely able to walk around her enclosure at the zoo because of a huge growth between her back legs, sparking concern from keepers and visitors. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan is considering permanently closing Karachi Zoo due to the government’s lack of capacity to properly care for the wild animals amid one of the worst economic crises the country has faced in years.

Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change, Senator Sherry Rehman, has urged the provincial government to shut down the zoo after an elephant became critically ill owing to insufficient animal care, The Nation reported on April 16.

Noor Jehan, a 17-year-old female elephant, sustained severe injuries after falling into a pond at the zoo. Her pelvis was broken, and she is facing several health issues, including arthritis, leaving her unable to walk.

Veterinarians from the Austrian animal welfare organization Four Paws earlier performed a critical procedure to save Noor Jehan, but her condition deteriorated due to inadequate treatment by the zoo authorities.

“Noor Jehan is still young, and she deserves to live another 20 or 30 years,” Dr. Amir Khalil, who led the eight-member team, told The Associated Press on April 5.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed support for proposals to relocate the animals from Karachi Zoo to safer locations where they can receive better treatment, The Nation reported.

Pakistan is going through an extraordinary period of crisis as its administrators jostle to rescue its debt-ridden economy amid rising political uncertainties and surging terrorist threats.

To revive its economy, Pakistan has sought a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and began talks in February. The government is seeking an installment of $1.1 billion in loans from a $6.5 billion fund the IMF approved in 2019.

Nathan Porter, IMF’s mission chief to Pakistan, said on April 15 that the IMF would need to obtain financing assurances before reaching a staff-level agreement with Pakistan on releasing the tranche.

“During the meetings between the Pakistani delegation and IMF staff and management, there was agreement on the need to maintain strong policies and secure sufficient financing to support the authorities’ implementation efforts,” Porter said.

Millions of People Affected

Aparna Pande, a research fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, said the ongoing and continually prolonged negotiations with the IMF are a symptom of the crisis.

“This is Pakistan’s 23rd bailout from the IMF. The IMF is a lender of last resort—like the ICU—and if you go to the ICU 23 times, there are underlying issues that need resolution,” Pande told The Epoch Times.

In 2022, the Pakistani economy grew by only 2 percent, while its foreign reserves held by its central bank currently stand at $3.1 billion—not enough to cover one month of export.

Its critically low U.S. dollar reserves have forced it to ban imports of essential food and medicine until the IMF offers a bailout. Meanwhile, Pakistani industries such as steel, textiles, and pharmaceuticals are almost dysfunctional, with many businesses closing down.

Experts fear a massive, never-before-seen rise in poverty and unemployment.

Hundreds of people in Pakistan line up for one bag of government-subsidized flour in February 2023. Photo Courtesy of Kinza Hashim, Pakistan

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the IMF and Pakistan to expand social protection systems and minimize reform measures that risk further damage to the country’s most vulnerable population.

“With poverty, inflation, and unemployment soaring, Pakistan is facing one of the worst economic crises in its history, jeopardizing millions of people’s rights to health, food, and an adequate standard of living,” it said in a statement on Feb. 6.

“Pakistan is facing its highest inflation levels since 1975, with the cost of perishable food items rising more than 60 percent in January. Inflation is expected to continue to rise,” the organization added.

According to HRW, at least a quarter of Pakistan’s population lived below the poverty line well before the crisis. The World Food Program estimated that 44 percent of children under five had stunted growth in 2018, indicating malnourishment.

Venus Upadhayaya and The Associated Press contributed to this report.