But the savagery doesn’t end there. Zoos are supposed to be a refuge for animals, especially those on the list of threatened or endangered species. The modern concept of a zoo envisages an environment where animals whose numbers are dwindling in the wild are protected, and perhaps bred, in surroundings that resemble their natural habitats. Instead, what we get in Pakistan is the imprisonment of animals in conditions that are cruel and degrading.

As this paper highlighted on Monday, the situation is particularly alarming in ‘mini zoos’ such as the one located in Karachi’s Korangi area. There is simply no justification for these woebegone institutions when the authorities concerned cannot even address the pitiful conditions prevailing at the city’s main zoological garden. There and in other ‘zoos’ in Karachi, many animals tend to be malnourished and diseased, and are mistreated by staff and visitors alike.

Elsewhere in the country too, zoo animals die in mysterious circumstances in the absence of adequate care by staff and prompt treatment by qualified veterinarians. A shortage of funds may be a factor but throwing money at a problem rarely produces results in Pakistan. This tragic state of affairs is the result of human callousness and nothing will change until attitudes do. Animals ought to be a source of awe, not amusement, and they shouldn’t be seen as a source of revenue either. If zoos worth the name cannot be maintained in this country, they should be done away with altogether.