Animals are as important as humans

Extinction of each species in the animal kingdom has adverse impacts on the eco system and the world is left with a few of them only. With aim of loving the rest and saving them for a better world, the World Animal Day was celebrated worldwide on Tuesday.
Ceremonies in this regard were also held in the city with the main event at Lahore Zoo. In collaboration with the Punjab University (PU), the zoo made it a festive day for its inhabitants, as students brought special foods for tigers, bears, chimpanzees and the famous Suzi elephant. Chimpanzees and bears were gifted juices and fruits and tigers, instead of beef, ate chicken. Students and teachers of the PU Zoology Department visited the zoo to commemorate the day.
The Punjab Livestock Department also rallied at Lawrence Road to promote love for animals and prevention of cruelty against animals in connection with the World Animal Day. Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Minister Malik Ahmed Aulakh said that animals were part and parcel of our lives and it was our responsibility to take care of animals’ food, habitation and vaccination. The Caged Bird Society also arranged a bird competition to raise awareness regarding birds’ habitat and their needs. Lahore Zoo Deputy Director Zahid Iqbal Bhatti said that in Pabbi area of Nowshehra, fossils of elephants, hippos and horses were found that hinted about presence of all these big mammals in this region. But unfortunately, no big mammal exists in the wilds now, he said.
Presently, Pakistan is home to 174 species of mammals, including 786 of birds, 23 of amphibians and 45 species of reptiles out of 2,500 species and there was a dire need of saving many vanishing species. The World Animal Day started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and widely celebrated in countries throughout the world.