The 150th birthday of the Karachi Zoological Gardens was celebrated on Wednesday. City Mayor Wasim Akhtar was the chief guest. He said the Karachi Zoological Gardens is a historical place and Pakistan’s biggest zoo. In 1833, the Karachi zoo was known as Victoria Garden — where the East India Company established a factory. In 1840, the zoo’s land was handed over to the Karachi municipality — where the then city administration established a beautiful garden. In 1870, it formally opened for public and around 900 animals were added to the 33-acre land. During a visit of Mahatama Gandhi in 1913, the Karachi municipality named it the Karachi Zoological Garden through an approved council resolution. In the 60s and 70s, a Mughal Garden was constructed inside the zoo. Around 60% of the total zoo area is allocated to parks, ponds, gardens and amusement activities. On an annual basis, around 300,000 families visit it. Animal and bird cages have been painted to give visitors a fresh look. Proper uniforms have been provided to the zoo staff, including security guards, gardeners and zoo keepers, the Karachi mayor said. City Mayor Wasim Akhtar said the KMC administration has taken measures for the improvement of the zoo. Akhtar spoke about the local government elections, saying it seemed to start the elections in the current scenario. City Mayor Wasim Akhtar said the tenure of elected representatives will end in August. The Sindh government can appoint administrators to run the system after that. In 1870, it formally opened for public and around 900 animals were added to the 33-acre land.
