ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Climate Change on Monday informed Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the two Himalayan brown bears will be transported to a sanctuary in Jordan on Dec 16.

“This court wishes the two brown bears, Suzie and Bubloo, a safe journey to their temporary abode with the hope that, being magnanimous by nature, they would forgive the human race for subjecting them to unimaginable pain and suffering,” said IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

Barrister Sardar Ijaz Ishaq, the counsel for Naheed Shah Durrani, secretary Ministry of Climate Change along with Barrister Danyal Hassan, counsel for the chairperson of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), informed the court that the board, in its meeting held on Dec 11, deliberated upon the relocation of the two bears to an appropriate sanctuary.

After getting opinions from experts, the board decided to relocate forthwith both the bears to a sanctuary established in the Kingdom of Jordan.

No matter how well equipped, a zoo is no less than a concentration camp for living beings, chief justice observes

“The bears’ natural habitat was the high altitude plateau of Deosai National Park in the Himalayas. It was indeed inhumane to have deprived them of living in their natural habitat, merely for the entertainment of humans,” the court observed.

Justice Minallah termed the zoo a ‘dungeon for animals’, and said a zoo, no matter how well equipped, is no less than a concentration camp for living beings. Both the bears are being sent out so that they could be free.

They were subjected to unimaginable pain and there is no justification for it as the bears’ behaviour was unnatural while imprisoned, he added.

“Kaavan, the lone elephant, has already been relocated to a sanctuary in Cambodia and the report received from Cambodia is a tribute to the people of Pakistan and its government who accepted the jurisprudence of this court and implemented it in letter and spirit. It is an acknowledgement that animal species have rights and that it is a duty of humans to protect them. The three animals will always be ambassadors of Pakistan, a reminder that the human race could go extinct if animal species and their rights are not protected,” Justice Minallah said.

He said it is time to end imprisonment of sentient animals in cages at zoos and let balance be restored so they could live with dignity in their respective natural habitats and enjoy their natural rights.

Both the bears could have been taken care of in Pakistan but time was required for creating an enabling environment and a facility that would serve as a sanctuary.

The court appreciated the decision of the board of not subjecting sentient living beings to further pain and suffering even for a day and relocating them to an appropriate sanctuary in Jordan till a facility could be established that would meet their behavioural, physiological and social needs.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2020