African giraffe worth Rs 10 mln dies in Peshawar Zoo under mysterious circumstances

Dec 15, 2020

Peshawar [Pakistan], December 16 : An African giraffe in Peshawar Zoo who was given "appropriate" treatment" has died under mysterious circumstances.
According to Geo News report, the Peshawar Zoo on Tuesday sent the samples of organs of an African giraffe, who passed away a day earlier under mysterious circumstances, to a laboratory in Islamabad for a detailed analysis of the cause of death.
Ishtiaq Khan, director of the Zoo, told the Pakistani media outlet, that they will be able to figure out the cause of death once they get the report.
On Monday, Khan had informed the media that the giraffe had been ill for a few days and died due to a "viral infection".
He, however, emphasised that the giraffe was being given "appropriate" treatment before he died.
The animal, worth Rs 10 million, was among a group of three giraffes brought to the Peshawar Zoo in 2018, Geo News said.
This comes after the Islamabad High Court compared zoos in Pakistan to concentration camps while scolding the government for depriving two Himalayan bears at Marghazar Zoo of their natural habitat.
According to a report by Dawn, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Monday compared zoos to concentration camps, adding that it was inhumane to have deprived the two bears -- Suzie and Bubloo -- at Marghazar Zoo of their natural habitat for the mere "entertainment of the human species".
Earlier, the 'world's loneliest elephant' Kaavan departed for a new home in Cambodia on December 1 after spending 35 years in Islamabad's Marghazar zoo.
The unhappy elephant was diagnosed as emotionally and physically unstable, while veterinarians have said that the elephant was malnourished
In May, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled that the animals kept in Marghazar Zoo were kept in cruel conditions and the zoo should be closed. In July, the court approved the plan to move Kaavan to Cambodia.