Pakistan’s outdated wildlife management laws and poorly run zoos lead to wild animals facing abuse in captivity. Bengal tiger cub Baboo was lucky to have got away, thanks to passionate volunteers partnering with government agencies. But without systematic changes, others like him will continue to suffer

By Abdullah Zahid and Beena Sarwar 

The air-conditioned container opens to release a young Bengal tiger into a vast  open grassland, a sanctuary where  he can freely roam. He walks around cautiously in his newfound freedom, sniffing at the shrubs, soaking in the peace and sunlight.

The Isindile Big Cat & Predator Sanctuary in South Africa, a nonprofit “environmentally conscious, ethical sanctuary”, is now Baboo’s new home. An Instagram reel by Isindile shows the now sleek 17-month-old exploring his new habitat. 

He was four months old, malnourished and unable to move, when his owner left him at a veterinarian’s clinic in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, in December 2020. He had more than 10 fractures caused by bone and muscle deterioration in dark, cramped living quarters. 

News of a tiger cub lying in the clinic garden caused outrage on social media, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) chair Rina Saeed Khan, told Sapan News. 

Pressure 

The pressure forced the IWMB, a division of Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change, then headed by Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United States to take notice. 

Bengal tigers are indigenous to hot, humid forests and wetlands in Southasia* – India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal – not Pakistan. While human beings find it hard to get visas across borders, various laws, differing from province to province, permit people to own wildlife as pets. Islamabad Capital Territory does not.

When the IWMB told Baboo’s owner that he could not keep the cub in the capital city, he abandoned Baboo. 

As a non-indigenous species, the cub was outside the IWMB mandate, said Khan. However, board members like environmentalist Viqar Zakaria pushed hard for the institution to take up his case. 

“We had to find a way to help him,” said Khan.

The IWMB worked in collaboration with the recently formed nonprofit Second Chance Wildlife (SCW), Pakistan, set up by expat and local residents, to help Baboo, also lovingly called ‘Dhikra’ (boy). Zakaria connected them with medical and veterinary experts like Dr. Peter Caldwell from the Aspinall Foundation in South Africa. 

Dr Caldwell’s advice throughout the rehabilitation process was said to be critical in helping in the tiger’s improvement.

While South Africa is not a natural habitat for Bengal Tigers, the decision to send Baboo there came about due to the linkages already formed between the organisations in Islamabad and South Africa. 

A comprehensive program of medical care and rehabilitation with a regimen involving specialised dietary support and daily physical therapy for Baboo in Islamabad included a specially designed enclosure with exposure to natural sunlight.

It took more than seven weeks for Baboo’s bones to heal enough for him to start walking and running normally. As his condition stabilised and his mobility gradually improved, he was moved to a larger enclosure.

“He was outgrowing the enclosure we had for him, and when the Aspinall Foundation offered to take him, we were happy to agree,” Khan said to Sapan News. “Plus, we didn’t have any connections with the tiger reserves in India or Bangladesh. And there was no way we were going to send him to a dingy zoo in Pakistan.”

Dire state of zoos 

The death of a 17-year-old African bush elephant, Noor Jehan, at Karachi Zoo last April also highlighted the poor conditions of Pakistan’s local zoos. In another instance, the isolated and unhealthy lifestyle of Kaavan the ‘World’s Loneliest Elephant’ at Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo led to his health severely deteriorating. 

A public outcry catalysed international attention, including by the music icon Cher who championed Kaavan’s cause. Finally, a 2020 order by Islamabad High Court, forced authorities to shut down the zoo, and Kaavan was relocated to a sanctuary in Cambodia, seen off by Cher. 

While not all cases of neglect make the news, animal rights activists are highlighting a broader debate, calling for a ban on zoo culture. Justice Ather Minallah of the Islamabad High Court even suggested that “instead of making children see animals in zoos, take them to a theatre where they can learn about animals.” 

In mid-2023, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, “recognising  the cub’s need for a more suitable long-term habitat, advised against using Baboo as an exhibit and recommended relocation to a suitable sanctuary abroad,” said a joint press release issued in mid-February by Second Chance Wildlife, The Aspinall Foundation, and Isindile Big Cat and Predator Sanctuary. “Subsequently, the IWMB and The Aspinall Foundation partnered with Isindile Big Cat and Predator Sanctuary in South Africa’s Free State Province, selecting it as Baboo’s ethical forever home.”

The Aspinall Foundation covered the costs associated with Baboo’s relocation  to his new home, said Khan. The Pakistani volunteer who had been caring for him accompanied Baboo. The relocation involved transfer by road to Islamabad Airport, two international flights, and then the two-hour drive from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport to the sanctuary.

Baboo is among the fortunate few who have been rescued and rehabilitated – Pakistan has a dismal track record in protecting wildlife.

The tiger “has settled down well in his new home,” according to a Facebook post by Insindile, 15 Feb. 2024. At Insindile, Baboo joined Queen Amber, a rescued tigress. They saw each other for the first time on 17 Feb., according to another Facebook post.

“He is a playful, curious young tiger and immediately started to explore his enclosure, soon discovering his splash pool and platform from where he has a lovely view of the valley and mountains surrounding the sanctuary,” says Insindile’s 15 Feb. post.

– A Sapan  News syndicated feature

Enjoyed the article? Support non-profit journalism. Help us meet our costs. Make a tax-deductible contribution to Sapan News

DONATE NOW

Thank you!

Also published in: