KARACHI (Web Desk) – After years of captivity, 24-year-old female brown bear Rano from Karachi Zoo has finally begun her journey to freedom.
Acting on Sindh High Court orders, Rano was relocated to Islamabad on Wednesday morning under expert supervision, marking the first step toward her rehabilitation.
Before departure, Rano was placed in a special wooden crate at Karachi’s Faisal Base, where her behavior, diet, and health were carefully monitored. Remarkably, she entered the crate calmly without sedation, responding to her caretakers’ calls.
She was flown from Karachi to Islamabad on a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft, which took off at 8:30 a.m. and landed at Nur Khan Airbase around 11:30 a.m. According to Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar, the team monitored her throughout the flight, and Rano even rested peacefully despite the aircraft’s roar.
Upon arrival, technical staff assisted in her safe offloading, and she was transferred to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board’s bear rehabilitation facility.
In the next phase, Rano will be moved to the Balkasar sanctuary in Gilgit-Baltistan — a natural refuge that promises her a second chance at life, far from the confines of her former barren cage at Karachi Zoo.