Animal Cruelty.

Private zoos and keeping wild animals as pets are practices that are very common in the country. Just because the privileged few can buy exotic animals does not mean they are equipped to look after the welfare of these animals. Nor does the power to purchase these animals reflect their motivation to adequately care for them, most of which belong to species under threat. There is an ongoing debate on the idea of zoos, if they are pitiful prisons or preservation sites. The arguments in favour of the former are more convincing. And it must also be stated that the conditions of zoos in Pakistan in particular do not seem centred on protecting animals; they are often treated as lifeless items on display. Before the video of a bear, showing neurotic behaviour, surfaced, another clip of a thirsty lion that was licking the cage in a zoo in Rawalpindi also went viral on social media. Our social media platforms are replete with videos and pictures of the affluent showing off their wealth by parading a lion or tiger from their private collections as well.

This must stop. The twenty-second clip of the bear was evidence of sheer negligence towards the animal. It is not rocket science to understand that keeping...