Lahore Zoo Safari Park is a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

History

The Woodland Wildlife Park was established in 1981 over as a government funded public facility. In 1998, it was handed over to the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department (PWPD) by the Forest Department. In 2004, the largest walkthrough

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...

of Pakistan was constructed in Woodland Wildlife Park and opened to public visitors. Boating and fishing facilities were also built near a lake. In 2006,

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

sanctioned 87 million

Pakistani rupee The Pakistani rupee ( ur, / ALA-LC: ; sign: Re (singular) and Rs (plural); ISO code: PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan since 1948. The coins and notes are issued and controlled by the central bank, namely State Bank of Pakistan. In ...

s to reconstruct the road leading to the wildlife park. This development increased the accessibility to the facility. The Government of Pakistan turned management of the wildlife park over to the Zoo Maintenance Committee (ZMC) headed by the Chairman of the PW PD. Vice-chairman Taqeer Shah said this transfer of control was due to poor previous management that was not working to improve the park. A ticket system was introduced in the wildlife park so that the Lahore Zoo Safari could come a semi-autonomous, self-financed organization. The park was extensively renovated and renamed Lahore Zoo Safari on January 21, 2009. The wildlife park is now considered to be an extension of

Lahore Zoo Lahore Zoo (Punjabi language, Punjabi: , ur, لاہور چڑیا گھر) in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan, established in 1872, one of the largest zoos in Pakistan. It is currently managed by the Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries depar ...

Attractions

The species housed here include

Indian peafowl The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and ...

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

common pheasant The common pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus'') is a bird in the pheasant family (biology), family (Phasianidae). The genus name comes from Latin ''phasianus'', "pheasant". The species name ''colchicus'' is Latin for "of Colchis" (modern day Geor ...

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

nilgai The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'' and was described by Peter Sim ...

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are ...

and

silver pheasant The silver pheasant (''Lophura nycthemera'') is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia and eastern and southern China, with an introduced population on Victoria Island in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Neu ...

among a few others. Largest walkthrough aviary of Pakistan is located in the Lahore Zoo Safari. Boating and fishing facilities have been developed near a lake. The lake is the biggest in the city, complete with four islands. There are also safari tracks in the lion and Bengal tiger areas, covering an area of . It has been recently renamed as Lahore Safari Zoo.

Controversies

In October 2006, a female Bengal tiger killed another female while in January 2007, a male killed another male. In June 2008, a Bengal tiger attacked a guard within the park. The

jugular vein The jugular veins are veins that take deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava. The internal jugular vein descends next to the internal carotid artery and continues posteriorly to the sternocleidomastoid ...

of the victim was ruptured causing blood loss and unconsciousness. The guard was taken to Jinnah Hospital for surgery. The aggressive nature of these animals have been brought to question. Officials stated that it was the first time that had happened and also admitted that the lower staff was being irresponsible about their duties. On 26 April 2016,it was reported that the government spent around Rs 130.8 million in the purchasing of wild animals. White lions were purchased at a staggering cost of Rs 65.5 million whereas their market rate cost is around Rs 5.6-5.9 million. 3

Bengal Tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

s were bought for Rs 10 million and 83 lac. 2

jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

were bought for Rs 10 million and 10 lac while government faced a loss worth Rs 60 lac. On 27 February 2020, an 18 year old boy's remains were found in the zoo's lion enclosure. His skull and two bones were found inside the enclosure which had 4 lions inside.

Reclaiming the Wilderness

"Reclaiming the Wilderness" is an initiative to design cage-less zoo according to international standards to conserve and preserve

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

by providing educational and recreational platform.

References

External links