Ministry to give Marghazar Zoo a makeover.

ISLAMABAD -- The Ministry of Climate Change plans to overhaul Marghazar Zoo from a facility having sparse concrete enclosures into a more naturalistic habitat where wild animals can be provided a healthy environment.

The zoo, which has now been shut down, was established by Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 1978 as a home for indigenous species found in the region on around 25 acres.

However, the site of the zoo along with its entire parking area is now being transformed into Margalla Wildlife Conservation Centre to be established on 82 acres of land. The transformation will be overseen by Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), which falls under the climate ministry.

'The PC1s for both the new centre and the Margalla Hills National Park are almost finalised and will be approved by the IWMB. Rs1.8 billion have already been set aside for both the centre and the conservation park that will be built near Pir Sohawa,' IWMB Chairperson Rina Saeed Khan told Dawn.

Facility to be turned into wildlife conservation centre spread on 82 acres

She said work will commence in the current month and architects will be hired to design the new, natural habitats - focused on providing wide spaces to wildlife so they can live without stress. 'Work will be completed by June 2023,' she added.

The government decided to overhaul the space after Islamabad High Court (IHC) stepped in to end cruelty inflicted upon animals at the zoo, and issued orders for it to be shut down in May. Two months later, in July, the climate ministry took charge of the zoo from the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).

Continuous neglect over many years had caused animals like Kaavan and two Himalayan brown bears to fall mentally and physically sick. All the three animals were eventually taken away by a global welfare organisation for animals called Four Paws.

While animal lovers appreciated the decision, many were also upset about losing the elephant and the bears...