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Local animals not in the zoo

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has so far failed to increase the number of local animals in the Marghzar Zoo.

The zoo was built in 1978 over 25 acres of land at the base of the Margallah Hills National Park. At an early stage, some indigenous and exotic species were housed in the zoo and it was decided that it would be upgraded on modern lines with the passage of time. The zoo has not been yet upgraded as was planned, a senior CDA official told Daily Times.

He said the zoo currently housed 320 animals of 69 species like a leopard, ducks, grey wolf, rhesus monkey, spider monkey, elephant, chinkara, grey goral, black buck, blue bill, yak, ostrich, barking dear, urial, hog dear, mouflon sheep, spotted dear, red fox, jackal, Indian blue peafoul, civet, steppe eagle and owl.

According to the International Union for the Conservation Nature (IUCN), total domestic species of mammals in Pakistan are 188, birds species 666, reptiles and fish 174, he said.

He said the zoo, visited daily by hundreds of people, had 32 species of mammals (total 88 animals), only two species of reptiles (500 animals) and 35 species of birds (total 227 birds). The CDA Zoo Directorate annually spent over Rs 4 million on zoo maintenance.

The official said many animals present in the zoo were foreign and donated by different countries and individuals. The main attraction at the zoo, the lion king, had died but the zoo management did not get his replacement, he said.

He said the lion was gifted in mid ’80s by a resident of Chakwal. The CDA has been planning for a year to upgrade the zoo, he said.

A Zoologist told Daily Times that every animal could be kept in the zoo if provided with proper environment. “The CDA needs to appoint expert staff in the zoo in order to treat animals in a better way,” he said. Majority of the cabins, cages and huts, constructed for animals in the zoo, were not suitable, he said.

Zoo Director Raja Javeed said a plan for the up-gradation of the zoo had been made. He said the number of number spices would be increased to 1,000 at the zoo.

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