(Web Desk) - The Karachi Zoo is once again at the centre of public outrage as concerns grow over the mistreatment and neglect of animals kept within its confines.
The latest controversy involves Rano, a female bear who has been living alone in a small enclosure for years.
She is now undergoing treatment for a head injury that has reportedly become infected due to poor care.
Animal welfare advocates have condemned the inaction, calling it a violation of both legal and ethical responsibilities towards endangered species.
Zoo officials admitted that Rano’s wound appears old and may have worsened over time, with opportunistic birds often feeding on open sores and making recovery difficult.
According to one staff member, even minor injuries at the zoo can quickly turn serious because the facility houses a high concentration of pathogens and scavenging birds.
He added that Rano likely injured herself by repeatedly hitting the metal bars of her cage, a behaviour linked to severe stress and psychological trauma from long-term confinement.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation spokesperson Daniyal Sial confirmed that the bear is under medical treatment, though he described the injury as a swelling rather than an open wound.
He claimed Rano would recover within a few days, yet activists remain sceptical, pointing out that the zoo has a long history of neglecting animals under its care.
Rano, believed to be a Himalayan brown bear and not a Syrian bear as officials have claimed, was brought to the zoo in 2017 along with another bear that died in 2020.