On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition asking for approval to bring African elephants into Pakistan for a zoological garden.
A brief comment was made during the hearing by Raja Shafqat Abbasi, the deputy attorney general (DAG), mentioning a CITES Management Authority meeting scheduled for July 2020. The conference came to the conclusion that the Peshawar Zoo is not a place where wild African elephants can survive.
The case was initially dismissed by the Peshawar High Court in September 2020. An organization that disputed the decision filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. Advocate Niaz Wali Khan was the petitioner’s representative. He asserted that the petitioner had previously purchased two elephants from Zimbabwe and was in charge of their care. Nevertheless, the request for importing elephants was rejected.
The PHC requested a meeting of the Pakistani CITES Management Authority after the initial round of legal proceedings under Section 15 of the Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act 2012, the DAG noted.
The purpose of the meeting was to assess the Peshawar Zoo’s capacity to house and look after elephants. A meeting was held in July 2020 to discuss the mandate, and it was decided there that the zoo was unable to provide the necessary habitat.
Nonetheless, in accordance with the current petition, delegates from the Zimbabwe Part Wildlife Department stopped at the Peshawar Zoo, thoroughly assessed the area, and came to the conclusion that it was suitable and supportive for elephants.
