Islamabad wildlife board members responsible for death of lions: court

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board members is responsible for the deaths of two lions, said the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.

Two lions died while being transferred from Islamabad’s Marghazar zoo to a farmhouse in Lahore, it was reported on July 30. They were being transferred to a farmhouse on the May 22 orders of the Islamabad High Court. A man filed a petition in the court over the negligence of the wildlife authority in the case.

The board includes climate change minister, and CDA chairperson, said Chief Justice Athar Minallah. The people responsible for the death are investigating it, he remarked. "If this is how they treat animals so imagine how they will treat people."

The cabinet approved the appointment of the board members and it includes the climate change minister, adviser and special assistant.

A gazette notification was not issued for the wildlife board, said the climate change secretary.

The court ordered the authorities to identify all members of the board and present a report in court.

A case has been registered under Section 5 of the Animal Act 1990 against unknown men. The law punishes people for killing any animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner. Those convicted under the law must pay a fine of Rs200 and can be imprisoned for up to six months.

The FIR says that the caretakers beat the pair with sticks and lit a fire in their cage to make them unconscious, rather than using a tranquiliser.

A video of the caretakers igniting a fire in the lion’s cage has been shared on social media too. The negligence of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board is also being investigated in the case.