After years of captivity, 24-year-old female brown bear Rano is finally on her way to freedom. On Wednesday morning, she was flown from Karachi Zoo to Islamabad under the supervision of a team of experts, from where she will be moved to a bear sanctuary for a second chance at life.
According to Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar, Rano was transported to the capital on a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft, which took off at 8:30am and landed at the Nur Khan Airbase a little after 11:30am.
The bear was first taken to Karachi’s Faisal Base in a wooden brown crate on a cargo pickup truck, which Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) officials said she entered willingly, without having to be sedated.
“On just three calls, she walked from her night room and into the crate,” said Sana Raja of the IWMB in a video. She added that Rano did not show any signs of distress and was also eating well.
Meanwhile, Mahar said that the team continuously monitored the bear on the flight, while Rano, despite the roar of the C-130 engine, caught up on years of lost sleep. “Right now, the technical staff at the Nur Khan Airbase is helping with offloading Rano,” he added.
The bear will later be taken to the IWMB bear rehabilitation facility.
For years, Rano has languished at the Karachi Zoo, first inside a Victorian-era pit and then in a barren cage, a cell where she paced restlessly day and night on worn-out, hard flooring. Her situation had prompted animal rights activists to approach the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking her relocation to a sanctuary in Islamabad.
Earlier this month, the SHC had ordered the bear’s relocation to the Balkasar sanctuary, the only bear-specific rehabilitation centre in the country. The court had also formed a committee to ensure her safe relocation. It also included members of the IWMB, who had earlier visited Karachi to train Rano.
Ray of hope
Mahera Omar, co-founder of the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society, said that zoos were unable to meet the complex psychological and behavioural needs of wild animals, nor could they replicate the ecosystems that are their rightful home.
“Zoos must be phased out and the animals rehabilitated in appropriate species-specific sanctuaries,” Omar said.
“Animals are not meant for our entertainment,” said Mahera Omar, co-founder of the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society. “They deserve to live freely in their own habitats across protected national parks.”
More to follow
