Alhamdulillah - Rano the brown bear to be moved from Karachi zoo to Islamabad sanctuary
As-salamu alaykum. Alhamdulillah, wildlife authorities in Sindh have started preparing to move Rano, a brown bear, from the Karachi Zoo to a sanctuary near Islamabad after a court order - a step animal lovers are calling a win for animal welfare.
The Sindh High Court told the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the provincial Wildlife Department to transfer Rano to a bear sanctuary run by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board. The court asked that the move be done within two days under the supervision of Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar.
Rano is a Himalayan brown bear and naturally belongs to cold, mountainous areas in northern Pakistan. She’s spent more than twenty years in the heat and humidity of Karachi, far from her home.
Mahar said they’ve begun the process and are waiting on the execution order and notifications for the oversight committee before carrying out the transfer. He also noted that Karachi’s climate simply isn’t right for a bear that comes from the mountains.
A Sindh Wildlife Department report found signs that Rano has been suffering physically and mentally because of the heat, loneliness and lack of proper stimulation. Officials saw behaviors like pacing, self-licking and rocking - classic signs of chronic stress or “zoochosis.” The report warned bears kept outside their natural environment can face immune problems and other health issues.
Plans are to move Rano in a specially made IATA Type-82 transport crate with ventilation, straw bedding and temperature control. Pakistan International Airlines or the Pakistan Air Force may help with the transfer. Vets will check her before travel and she’ll spend 14 days in quarantine after arrival.
Officials said that once Rano is stable at the Islamabad sanctuary, the Sindh government has recommended relocating her to Gilgit-Baltistan so she can be closer to her Himalayan home.
Animal rights campaigners welcomed the ruling. Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir, who helped with the petition, said the decision shows growing public concern and pressure for kinder treatment of wildlife. “We hope Rano’s suffering will finally end,” he said, and Insha'Allah she’ll soon live with more comfort and dignity.
This case has echoes of Kaavan, the elephant once called the “world’s loneliest elephant,” who was moved from Islamabad Zoo to a sanctuary in Cambodia in 2020. There have been other petitions asking for better care of captive animals, after long-standing criticism of neglect and mismanagement at some zoos - including recent problems with the Karachi Zoo’s elephants and the death of Noor Jehan.
Journalist and activist Quatrina Hosain praised the court order and asked whether courts will always need to step in to make zoo admins do the right thing. She said we should stop treating animals as prison exhibits and instead build real sanctuaries or send suffering animals where they can be properly cared for. May Allah make it easy for Rano and for those working to help other animals, and Insha'Allah this leads to better care in the future.
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