The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered the Karachi Zoo administration to move the female brown bear Rano to a sanctuary within 48 hours, amid uproar over her worsening condition.
On October 7, a two-judge SHC bench directed the senior zoo director and Sindh Council for Conservation of Wildlife (SCCW) secretary to appear in court today along with a report about the health of the brown bear.
Animal rights activist Jude Allen Pereira petitioned the SHC and submitted that he approached the court in the public interest to seek a declaration of recognition of animal cruelty to the female brown bear, currently confined at Karachi Zoo, in violation of relevant law.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and including Justice Syed Fiazul Hassan Shah, resumed hearing the petition today.
Justice Kalhoro expressed his anger at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
“How could the bear be kept in such conditions,” he asked, in reference to Rano’s condition, and ordered the handing over of the bear to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.
The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the “bear had been kept in one place for seven years.”
The counsel further argued that Rano was in “extreme distress, as a result of which she often hits her head on the cage, causing injury.”
“Rano has developed worms in her wound,” the counsel added.
Earlier this month, it had emerged that Rano had suffered a head injury, and the wound was infested with maggots due to a lack of care.
Addressing the respondents, Justice Kalhoro questioned, “What was the fault of this speechless animal that she has been kept in the same place for seven years?”
Criticising the conduct of the respondents, the judge further said, “Why do you need to wait for a court order to do your work?
“Why was the bear not transferred to a better place, and why was she not treated at the zoo?”
Responding to the judge’s comments, the SCCW secretary blamed KMC, saying “SSCW has no authority over the Karachi Zoo as it is under the management of KMC.”
Activist Jibran Nasir appeared as the counsel for Pereira, while Advocate Hasnain Abidi attended as the lawyer for KMC. The hearing was adjourned till October 17 (Friday).
In a post on X, Nasir said: “KMC extended the argument that if the bear is shifted, it will impact the entertainment avenues for citizens of Karachi. On this, the Honourable Bench remarked that ‘KMC must realise we live in the 21st century and we should act civilised and with empathy’.
“Animals are not a source of entertainment. Animals belong in national parks or jungles and forests. Cruelty to animals is also forbidden in Islam,” Nasir quoted the bench as saying.
Petitioner Pereira termed the decision a “big win for Rano.”.
“Today is a big win. But not for me. It’s a big win for Rano,” he said, expressing the hope that Rano would not be subjected to noise pollution, exploitation, and disease anymore.
“She will learn to smell grass, play, get genuine love and an environment best suitable for her well-being,” Pereira said.
“We owe her that. It’s the least we could do.”
He continued, “I am not here to get involved in politics. I don’t have a fight against government institutions. I’m only here to ensure captive wildlife get a chance at freedom…because freedom cannot be selective. It’s their right.”
Languishing in a barren cage, Rano, a Himalayan brown bear, was reportedly brought to Karachi Zoo in 2017 along with an Asiatic black bear who died in 2020.
Earlier this month, the bear was undergoing treatment for a head injury, with a zoo official saying that she had been treated earlier for the same wound, which she probably suffered after hitting the metal bars of her cage.
In January, the KMC, on the mayor’s directives, had notified a three-member committee to assess Rano’s condition, in a bid to address concerns regarding her well-being.
The committee, in its report, recommended that “the species may immediately be transferred to the bear sanctuary at Balkasar” – the only bear-specific sanctuary in Pakistan – and suggested that Rano’s DNA testing be carried out to identify its exact species.
While the committee expressed satisfaction over the bear’s diet, physical health, and finding no wounds/injuries on her body, it observed “unusual behaviour” of the brown bear, suggesting she was “under stress”.
The team also noticed “heavy noise” during the visit, and said it seemed to be “beyond the permissible decibels”.
Animal rights activists say that Rano is a Himalayan brown bear – a critically endangered species – and not a Syrian species as claimed by zoo officials.
Earlier this month – nearly eight months after the committee’s recommendations – it emerged that KMC still had no plans to implement any of the recommendations made by its own committee, as per sources.