The Loi Bher Wildlife Park, which used to be one of the most popular parks in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, is no longer worth visiting.

Due to the lack of maintenance, the condition of the park has deteriorated and during the last about a decade the number of visitors to the facility dwindled from over 6,000 to just 500 a month.

Though the management has abolished the entry fee, the citizens seem not interested in visiting the park.

It may be noted that park, which is run by the Punjab forest, wildlife and fisheries department, once used to be one of the most attractive tourist spots in the twin cities. A large number of people used to visit the park to see animals. The most attractive part of the park is the open area for lions. The visitors can drive up to the boundary wall of the den to see the animals in the wild.

Spreading over 687 acres, the park was constructed in 1992 during the government of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).

When this reporter visited the park, not only the road leading to the facility was in a miserable condition but also the bridge, which the visitors used to reach the boundary wall of the lions’ den, has collapsed. However, the employees of the park have made an improvised pathway to reach the den.

Most of the cages in the park are in a poor condition and have gathered rust. Moreover, the number of animals in the park has also decreased.

An official of the park, who was not authorised to speak to the press on record, said there were still some animals which can attract the visitors but the condition of the park was so poor that after entering the park the visitors turned back.

“There are two lions and three lionesses. Moreover, there is a pair of black bear, seven nilgai (two male and three female), 20 blackbucks, 13 spotted deer, 20 hog deer, 20 urial, eight fallow deer and some monkeys in the park,” he said.

“There are 190 birds of seven species for which the park has a special aviary,” he said.

“Time to time attempts were made to make the park worth visiting but to no avail. In the 90s, there was a proposal to establish a lake in the park to launch a boating facility for the visitors,” he said.

Clockwise from top: This piece of land had been earmarked for a lake which never materialised, these deer are the only attraction left at the park, and almost empty aviary which was supposed to house various species of birds. — Photos by Ishaque Chaudhry

“The idea was to attract the residents of the nearby areas who visit Rawal Dam to enjoy boating. But to establish a lake, water had to be brought from the Korang River besides storing rainwater. A few years ago, the project was started but the lake could not be put in place,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said the lake could not be formed as the water of Korang River got contaminated due to mixing of sewage in it. He said fish and other water animals cannot survive in contaminated water. Even boating is not possible in dirty water as it stinks.

“Though Loi Bher is a park, there is no underground water due to which drinking water for the animals is also arranged through tankers,” he said.

Fahad Sheikh, a citizen who had come to the park along with his wife and children, told Dawn that he used to visit the park in the 90s when he was a student.

“I have now purchased a car and decided to visit the park along with my family. However, I am shocked to see the condition of the park. There is nothing in the park. Instead of enjoying, my children are now asking me to go somewhere else.”

He said all over the world new parks were made but it was unfortunate that the government had failed to maintain an existing park. Rizwan Bashir, another visitor, said he lived in a nearby area and came to the park frequently.

“The park can regain the attention of the citizens if the government invests a little bit on the roads, cages, beautification of the park, swings besides opening some restaurants here. Moreover, a walking and jogging track should also be established in the park. The project of the lake should also be revived,” he said.

In 2012, a lion injured a man who was cutting grass in the Safari Park. So the government should ensure that the boundary fence is secured and not broken from anywhere, he said.

Nadeem Qureshi, the assistant director of the park, told Dawn that the employees were also disappointed because of the uncertain situation and had been waiting for the revival of the park.

“A project to develop the park ended in June last year. The building department had to carry out some construction work but it entered into a dispute with the contractor. The contractor moved a local court after which the construction work on the roads and cages could not be completed,” he said. “We used to charge Rs6 as an entry fee from children and Rs10 from adults. Moreover, Rs50 were charged from each vehicle if they wanted to go to the den of lions. However, in 2007 we stopped selling tickets because the number of visitors was decreasing,” he said.

“Over a decade ago, almost 5,000 to 6,000 visitors used to come to the park every month but now the number has decreased to 500. I am not sure when the development work will start again,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Qureshi said a farmer from Dina near Jhelum had offered to donate five ostriches for the park but did not fulfil his promise perhaps due to the poor condition of the park.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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