(Pakistan News & Features Services)
Finally, I got a chance to visit the Lahore zoo recently after a long time. It had changed so much, and thankfully, a great change! I had previously gone there a couple of years ago, and it has flipped the cards! So many new and wondrous things! So how about discussing and sharing them.
First things, first. We had originally planned to leave our house early in the morning to avoid hot weather. We were a little late as the clock had already ticked 11 am when we boarded our car and it started feeling too hot when we reached there.
Upon arrival at the zoo, we noticed the innumerable changes having taken place there. The entrance, parking, canteen, in fact everything seemed to have changed so nicely.
The monkeys and gorillas were busy playing, jumping, and dancing, which was a treat to the eyes.
The zoo has introduced an aquarium, too, which is a welcome addition. It is exhibiting the reflection of Safari Lahore. Obviously, it has become another major attraction for the visitors.
There were hardly any fans or anything like it visible which could have helped us in coping with the hot and humid weather.
It would have been really preferable if there were some fans or cooling devices so that tourists were not left to melt in the scorching heat.
According to our weather conditions, the management should think on these lines to comfort the people who come to the zoo just to have a good time, and they obviously want to enjoy and see the animals there.
People as well as the animals were suffering from the hot weather. The temperature was not so high, but the humidity level made it worse, which left us hapless.
I visited the zoo with my cousins who were in Pakistan for the first time. They had expressed the desire to go to the zoo, so my family and I readily obliged.
They were so done! They almost fainted! Putting aside people, the animals were also on the verge of dying, because of the testing weather conditions.
There should be good number of fans to help them endure the heat and humidity. At some places, there were coolers for lions, but they seemed far from enough.
Next, I saw the birdcages. The birds were like, they will die with this humidity as their cages were messy and smelly too. The rabbits were also not in good space, they were so mixed with the new breed.
I felt so bad and disgusted! My heart was so heavy and even didn’t want to go further.
My little cousin wanted to make a picture with a Macaw on her arm, so we went to that place where they were available.
One bird had a nasty cut, and there was an eagle tied to a chair. The worst part was that the rope was so small! He was like caged! And there was very little water for him in a small iron tray which was burning in the sun. His beak was open and he was looking not healthy at all!
We also came across a lion whose mouth was open and was gasping for air, tigers that were deadly slim slim-looking if not fed enough food, pacing around with no water.
I really missed an elephant, a giraffe, and a zebra at the zoo. The visit could be deemed incomplete without seeing an elephant.
How can these shortcomings be overcome? The management can place various fans or mist fans around the zoo, giving some air to the tourists and the animals as well.
The animals should be properly fed and given adequate amount of water to keep them hydrated.
They should also be checked on and not left in the burning sunshine, especially during summer. The animals should be parked in some kind of shade, saving them from the powerful rays of the sun. The animals should be properly and professionally trained.
Overall, when I first came to the Lahore zoo a couple of years ago, compared to that, it's much better and has changed a lot. But there are still some areas that could need some improvement in order to keep the animals well and to attract more tourists.
