LAHORE, June 24 (TNF): In a major development concerning animal welfare, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued a stay order suspending the planned transfer of endangered Brazilian rainforest monkeys from Karachi to the Lahore Zoo.
The court’s decision offers a temporary reprieve to the rare primates, who are currently under the care of the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) Animal Rescue, a prominent animal welfare organization based in Karachi.
According to a May 6, 2025 report by the Ministry of Climate Change, the monkeys were slated for relocation to the Lahore Zoo. However, the proposed move sparked significant backlash from environmentalists, animal rights advocates, and civil society members, who raised concerns about the potential risks to the animals’ wellbeing.
The petition, filed by Altamush Saeed and Ahmad Shoaib Atta of the Environmental and Animal Rights Counsel (EARC), argued that the Lahore Zoo lacks the conditions necessary to care for such sensitive and endangered primates. The petitioners highlighted issues such as high animal mortality rates, extreme weather conditions, poor veterinary care, and inadequate infrastructure—concerns echoed by both national and international organizations, including WWF Pakistan.
They further asserted that the safest option for the monkeys would be repatriation to their native Brazilian rainforest, as no facility in Pakistan is capable of replicating the ecological conditions essential to their survival. The petitioners have called upon international wildlife organizations to step in and assist with returning the monkeys to their natural habitat.
The LHC has issued notices to the concerned government departments, requesting formal responses. The case has been adjourned until September 2025 for further proceedings.
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