New Delhi: According to reports from Dr. N.V.K. Ashraf, the only Indian veterinarian in the international IFAW team reconstructing the famous Baghdad Zoo, the animals in the war-ravaged Zoo are in good health but their living environments are unsatisfactory. IFAW has taken over the responsibility of providing Emergency Relief to these animals. The team’s task is to make an assessment of the situation, implement welfare measures during the period of stay, make suggestions for medium-term solutions and provide ideas for long term vision. The initial assessment of the Zoo suggests that the damage done is not so much due to the war but because of public vandalism that followed.In an update from Baghdad, Dr. Ashraf reports that the Zoo, built in 1970 in area of 120,000 sq mts, is a typical Victorian model menagerie with cages of bars and concrete. It is located in the Republic park gardens, close to some of the monuments of Saddam’s regime. The entire country was looted by miscreants during the war and the zoo was no exception. The fish in the aquarium, many species of birds and small mammals were stolen or eaten. The air conditioners, cup boards and almirahs that belonged to the zoo were looted. The restaurants were damaged and eviscerated. The newly built veterinary hospital and lab has been totally ransacked too. The army has taken over the charge of fixing up everything, including the electrical and irrigation facilities.

There is no collection policy at the zoo. Wild animals are freely traded in Iraq. A number of wild animals have been seen in the market. It has not been ascertained yet whether they are illegally traded as exotic pets or have been looted from the zoo. The dealers get the animals they want. There are plenty of empty enclosures at present and the director is keen on getting more animals to refill them. There is one enclosure for Asian elephant and another one for Giraffe, both empty at present. A bear, found stranded on the road, has severe abdominal injuries. It needs to be tranquilised and moved to the zoo urgently. This exercise will be done in a few days. Another bear is said to be living in another zoo north of Baghdad. If the zoo were to remain open, many of the animals would not make pleasant exhibits. One of the three bears is blind, another has chronic hair loss (secondary to cage rubbing) over the dorsum of his head, one of the Cheetahs has a chronic hind limb lameness (which is being further investigated under anaesthesia) and the Jackal is extremely highly strung and is rarely viewable.

The large carnivores present at the zoo are lions (3 adults and 4 cubs), 2 tigers and 4 brown bears. The medium carnivores include 2 cheetahs, a wolf, 2 jackals, a hyena and the small mammals are desert foxes, jungle cats, Indian porcupines (4 in number) and one Eurasian badger. Birds include 3 ostriches, brown fish owl, 2 unidentified birds of prey, Egyptian vultures and budgerigars. Reptiles include on land tortoise. Besides this, there are 3 lions and six 8-week old cubs at Uday palace, the palace of Saddam’s son, Uday.

The cages / enclosures would require complete demolition of existing structures and re-building of new ones. None of the enclosures have moats as barriers, an indication of Iraq’s isolation from the zoo world following UN sanctions during the past one decade. Enclosures, particularly for the bears, porcupines, cheetahs, foxes and the bobcat, need to be changed. Also, since the Iraqi calendar would soon enter the three hottest months of the year, this becomes a pressing need. The temperature there is 45 degrees and more. Nylon nettings with 85% permeability are being used. They cover 50% of the ceiling of outdoor enclosures of the following species: Tiger, cheetah, brown bear and hyena. Already, the animals are barely able to cope with the high temperatures during the day. Apart from the rising mercury, there is a lack of airflow and ventilation (due both to still air and the zoo building’s layout) that results in a lack of a cooling.

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