Crisis of veterinary doctors in zoos of Punjab

Lahore: Due to lack of service structure, veterinary doctors started running away from jobs in zoos and wildlife parks managed by Punjab Wildlife.

In the last few years, several veterinarians from Lahore Zoo alone have gone abroad, currently Punjab Wildlife is facing a severe shortage of veterinarians. Lahore Zoo, Lahore Safari Zoo and Wildlife Park Jallo have only one veterinary doctor to take care of animals and birds.

Zoos and Wildlife Parks of Punjab Wildlife remain laboratories for veterinary doctors. Veterinary doctors practice in zoos for a few years and then go abroad after gaining experience.

During Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) doctors do not have any practice in treating and caring for wild animals especially lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and rhinoceros. When doctors are posted in zoos and wildlife parks, they learn to treat wild animals on the job and when they get a few years of experience, they go abroad for a better future.

In the last few years, around a dozen veterinary doctors have left their jobs in Punjab wildlife parks and zoos and gone abroad. Dr. Babar Saleem is also among those doctors who are serving in a zoo in Qatar these days after saying goodbye to Lahore Zoo.

Punjab Wildlife currently has 14 seats of regular veterinary doctors of which more than half are vacant. The two veterinary doctors of Punjab’s oldest and most important Lahore Zoo have gone abroad on leave one after the other, the female doctor posted at Wildlife Park Jallo has also taken leave to complete MPhil, while other veterinary doctors have been on duty for a long time. are absent from Senior Dr. Rizwan posted at Safari Zoo is currently given the responsibility of taking care of animals in Lahore Zoo, Jalu and Safari.

After serving as a veterinary doctor in Lahore Zoo for a long time, Dr. Babar Saleem, who is now working in Qatar, told The Express Tribune that there is no infrastructure and no service structure in zoos. There is no senior vet in the zoo from whom newcomers can learn. For this reason, when a new doctor comes, it takes him two or three years to understand wild animals, especially big cats, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, their temperaments, their diseases and treatments. Due to this, the mortality rate of wild animals is also high.

He said that after four, five years, when the veterinary doctor feels that he can take care of any zoo, then he goes abroad for a better future.

It should be noted that in the last few years, many doctors have gone to Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia only from Lahore Zoo. In the last few months, two female veterinary doctors of Lahore Zoo have also gone abroad. Among them, Dr. Madiha Ashraf is in Saudi Arabia while Dr. Warda Gul is in UAE.

In this regard, Deputy Director and Focal Person of Punjab Wildlife Mudassar Hassan while talking to Express Tribune said that DG Wildlife has sent a request to Secretary Livestock in which he was requested to send doctors on deputation to Punjab Wildlife. Is.

He said that it is true that veterinary doctors do not have any service structure, but like other government departments, Punjab Wildlife has a policy that veterinary doctors who are recruited in 17th grade will be promoted after ten years of service i.e. 18th grade. Grade will be given and after 20 years of service they will get 19th grade. There is only one post of 19th grade in Punjab Wildlife which is that of Director but this post is also vacant for a long time.

The caretaker government of Punjab is currently working to make other zoos of the province, including the Lahore Zoo, in accordance with international standards and work is being done on an emergency basis, but on the other hand, the government veterinary doctor and animal care in the zoo. No action is being taken regarding the training of the staff and their service.

Ashiq Ahmed Khan, the country’s renowned wildlife conservator, told The Express Tribune that when you want to upgrade zoos and bring them up to international standards, it only means bringing in new animals and birds and housing them. The food of these animals, the training of those who take care of their health is also necessary. These people should have job security. If you don’t give an employee better pay, benefits and job security, they will definitely go abroad.

He suggested that the government should regularize more than 70 percent daily wages employees working in zoos along with creating a service structure of veterinary doctors so that the zoos can be truly brought up to international standards.