Life Finds a Way

Peshawar Zoo offers wildlife lovers to adopt animals under the Educational Zoo Outreach Programme

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Zoo recently made it to the headlines as, nearly five years after its inauguration in February 2018, a citizen adopted an animal from there under the Educational Zoo Outreach Programme last week.

Despite the fact that the good news was tainted by “false” news reports claiming the zoo was seeking public assistance in animal care by adopting animals due to financial constraints, Deputy Director Haseena Anbarin expressed joy over the first adaptation because it allowed animal lovers to form bonds with the animals.

Haseena informed Bol News that adopting animals was an international education concept that was already being practised by different zoos in Pakistan, including Karachi and Lahore, where people with a consciousness for wildlife take responsibility for the care of an animal.

“Animal adoption gives visitors, especially animal lovers, a chance to connect with animals and develop a sense of taking care of their adopted animal as well as all wildlife,” said Haseena.

“Similarly, when the adopters pay money for adopting an animal, they get a sense of belonging, which makes them regular visitors to the zoo and particularly their adopted animal,” she added.

Besides honouring the adopters by displaying their names on the cages of their adopted animals, the Peshawar Zoo is also giving other incentives to those interested in adopting an animal or bird. There are four types of adoption plans offered by the zoo.

A basic Bronze package that costs Rs 5,000 for the whole year earns a name tag for the adopter, besides giving them the freedom to regularly visit their adopted animal. Similarly, there are Silver, Gold, and Diamond categories for adopting animals, which cost from Rs 20,000 per year to Rs 200,000 and will allow the person availing of any of these categories free entry to the zoo.

“The charges for each category are based on the calculations of expenses incurred on the feed and care of any animal,” Haseena told Bol News. However, she continued that since it is just an educational programme, they are charging a minimal amount from the people who are adopting animals just to create a sense of responsibility in them.

When it was inaugurated on February 12, 2018, the Peshawar Zoo had 60 cages for more than 800 different species of birds, 23 cages for some 50 herbivorous animals, and 10 carnivorous animals in seven enclosures. The first phase of the zoo was completed in a record time of just two years and one week at the cost of Rs 428 million. A revised PC-I amounting to Rs 2,104 million was approved later in May 2017 to add more facilities.

Spanning 29 acres, the Peshawar Zoo occupies four acres more space than the Lahore Zoo, thus making it Pakistan’s largest zoo by area. Currently, a total of 160 animals and almost 1,200 birds inhabit the zoo.

Visitors to the zoo can enjoy a walk through an enclosure of birds or a butterfly park. Similarly, a 1.8-kilometre jogging track, a cycling track, a children’s theme park, and a number of lawns for visitors to rest and dine on are also present to amuse the visitors.

“The per-month animal feed expenses of Peshawar Zoo are 3 to 3.5 million rupees,” said the deputy director, adding: “But more importantly, there is no link between animal adaptation and animal feed, yet the media has misreported on the matter without even trying to find any details about the two procedures. We have no financial constraints, contrary to what some media outlets have recently claimed. Unfortunately, they did not even seek the opinion of the zoo administration or try to find any information about the aims and objectives of the animal adoption scheme of the Peshawar Zoo. Our aims and objectives include education, recreation, and research. This is an educational programme to develop a sense of belonging.”

She maintained that the zoo never faced any financial issues since work started on the project in February 2016, but as the project was recently revised, some delays were caused in the new arrangements for the transfer of funds.

“The Peshawar Zoo is a developmental scheme in operation since 2016, and the government pays us quarterly. Since the project has recently been revised, it is a known fact that after any such revision there are many administrative formalities. That is why we were waiting for the release of our funds, but we have never faced any financial issues in the past six years,” she highlighted.

While narrating his story of getting inspired to adopt an animal, Saqib ur Rahman Khattak, the first person to adopt a bird known as ‘Koklass pheasant’ at the Peshawar Zoo, said that he saw a video on the zoo’s Facebook page that gave details about animal adaptation. “I have been doing social work for nearly 15 years now, and it gives me pleasure to provide food and clothing to the needy people of our society. Seeing the video about animal adoption showed me another way of contributing to our society. I thought we spend so much on gatherings with friends, eating out, or shopping, why shouldn’t I spend a little on caring for an animal?” said Saqib.

He initially felt sad when he found out that no one had adopted an animal at the Peshawar Zoo. However, the sadness soon turned into joy as he became the first person to adopt an animal at the facility. “It means a lot for me to be the first person to do this,” he said.

“My parents are also really happy with this little act of kindness. I felt that humans can express themselves easily, but these poor animals do not know how to tell us about their needs. That’s why I adopted an animal. The Koklass I adopted had come to Peshawar Zoo from Gilgit-Baltistan, and now I feel really proud to be connected with it,” he added.

Reportedly, Koklass pheasants are found in Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The one adopted by Saqib cost him Rs 5,000 per year under his bronze package. Three more people have adopted animals at the zoo last week, following the footsteps of Saqib. But the joy of being the first person to adopt an animal in Peshawar will remain with Saqib for ages.