Lone lion dies from hunger and heat

Due to the apathy and negligence of wildlife authorities, the lone lion of “lohi Bher” Safari park died on Thursday.

An employee of the park told Pakistan Today on the condition of anonymity that the main cause of lion’s death was extreme heat and provision of substandard meat. He further said that if timely measures are not taken to protect the lives of others animals their survival would also be at stake.

Deaths of zoo and park animals in Pakistan is becoming habitual due to the messed up environment and scorching heat. In 2012, due to similar conditions a female elephant (Saheli) died at the Margalla Zoo Islamabad. It was said that the main cause of her death was heat, lack of proper shade where elephants prefer to stand during the summer season, and lack of proper washing system or sending the elephants to fresh water pond.

When contacted for comments, Deputy director Anwar Aman told Pakistan Today scribe that an inquiry would be conducted to find out what had caused the lion’s death.

He said it would be unfair to jump to any conclusion before an inquiry and only after a thorough probe would the real facts be revealed.

Lohi bher park of Rawalpindi is one of the biggest Safari parks of Punjab and was established in 1992. It is the third largest in Punjab in terms of area. Two years ago, the Punjab government believed that a numbers of imported and local animals would be living there and visitors would be allowed to view their natural breeding environment.

However, like other parks in Pakistan the Lohi Bher Park is also in dilapidated conditions.