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KARACHI: A lion whose distress image went viral on social media after being discovered in a private zoo in Nazimabad has been rescued and safely moved to an animal sanctuary, it emerged on Saturday.
“The lion was in bad shape so we had to get him out of the private zoo first in an emergency. There are still other animals that are in line to also be moved out of the place,” animal activist Jude Allen told Dawn.
He said that the lion was lucky to have a chain of events take place in his favour, the most important of which was the arrival of Sana Raja, a highly experienced wildlife rescuer and behaviourist with extensive fieldwork and training including exposure to advanced conservation practices in South Africa, in Karachi.
Allen got to know her during her previous mission of the rescue and rehabilitation of Rano, a Himalayan bear. “This time she was back in the city after successfully rescuing another two bears from abusive captivity in Islamabad who, on the special request of [Punjab minister] Marriyum Aurangzeb, were brought to Karachi to be kept at the animal sanctuary, Primal Earth Wildlife Sanctuary [PEWS], here,” said Allen.
