Karachi Zoo animals starve as food supply is cut over unpaid bills

Karachi: The animals at the Karachi Zoo are being deprived of adequate food as their supply was discontinued on March 21 after a dispute over unpaid bills with the contractors responsible for the animal food supply.

In letters written to the administrator of Karachi Municipal Corporation on March 23, the contractors, Bilal Construction Co & General Suppliers and Mahmood Enterprises, accused the zoo’s senior director, Khalid Hashmi, of extorting money from them.

The contractors are demanding payments of Rs34.6 million and Rs8.2 million respectively for the unpaid bills, and are refusing to provide food on credit anymore.

According to media reports, on March 21, the contractors suspended the food supply, and the animals were left without enough food. The zookeepers confirm the news about the lack of food is true, as they are supposed to provide food to the animals according to their diet plan, but the quality and quantity of food have been problematic.

We’re supposed to provide the food to the animals according to their diet plan, but there are some issues in the quality and quantity, Zookeeper

Khalid Hashmi, the zoo’s senior director, has denied the allegations and claimed that the animals were being fed properly. However, sources at the zoo say that the KMC’s finance department has been tasked with paying the bills and that there are animals who require fresh meat every day.

The Karachi Zoo has faced several other crises in recent months, including the deaths of many animals and birds due to the administration’s negligence. The Four Paws International team is expected to visit Karachi soon to diagnose and treat Noor Jehan the elephant who has been unwell.