KARACHI (Web Desk) - Sindh wildlife authorities said on Thursday they had begun preparations to relocate a brown bear, Rano, from the Karachi Zoo to a sanctuary near Islamabad, following a court order that activists see as a victory for animal welfare amid incidents of cruelty toward captive wildlife.
The Sindh High Court this week directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which manages the zoo, alongside the provincial Wildlife Department to move Rano, who has lived alone for years in the city’s sweltering heat, to a bear sanctuary operated by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board. The court ordered the transfer within two days under the supervision of Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar.
Rano, a Himalayan brown bear native to the cold alpine regions of northern Pakistan, has spent over two decades in captivity and in a tropical region, hundreds of miles from her natural habitat.
“To follow the court directives, we have started the process [to move the animal],” Mahar told foreign media.
“After securing the execution order and notification for the oversight committee, we will take steps to relocate Rano.”
He acknowledged that Karachi’s climate and environment “are simply not suitable for a bear that belongs to the mountains.”
A Sindh Wildlife Department report said Rano showed signs of psychological and physical distress caused by heat, isolation and lack of stimulation. Officials also said they observed symptoms of zoochosis, a stress-induced repetitive behavior common in animals kept in poor conditions.
“She has shown signs of pacing, self-licking and rocking — indicators of chronic stress,” the report noted, adding that bears like Rano suffer “physiological stress, compromised immunity and behavioral disorders” when kept outside their natural range.