Volume 1, No. 23. December 14, 2001
Photo of Marjan the lion, which boosted the fortunes of the Kabul Zoo. Photo by the Associated Press
Afghan's Aslan
The lion proved a compelling poster
child. The 45-year-old Marjan's face and eyesight had been maimed by a grenade
that an Afghan soldier launched at him in retaliation for the lion killing a
fellow soldier (who, the day before, had tried to pose for a photograph in the
lion's pen). The photograph of Marjan ran on the internet and in newspapers
around the world, accompanying stories about the sorry state of the Kabul Zoo.
The images and reports coming out of the zoo in Afghanistan's capital city struck
a chord in Europe and the United States. British tabloid newspapers battled
for the title of animal rights champions, and a fund in America raised $100,000
in less than a week. Meanwhile, zoo associations around the world—namely
the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the World Association of
Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA)—were
also stirred to action for the sake of their colleagues, Kabul Zoo director
Sheragha Omar and his dedicated staff, who withstood an uncaring government,
abusive visitors, persecution, and no pay for months to look after the ever-diminishing
number of animals in their care.
"These people amazingly, through thick and thin, stuck to the job," said David
Jones, director of the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, who headed
the AZA's fund-raising campaign. "We've got to make sure that if the animals
are comfortable, the keepers are comfortable, too."
He's got the money to do that. When the AZA started fielding calls from member
zoos and the public about helping the Kabul institution, Jones volunteered to
lead the effort. The former director of the London Zoo is the longtime chairman
for the Brooke Hospital, whose animal welfare work in Pakistan has allowed him
to build an extensive network of contacts in the region. By his estimates and
reports coming out of Kabul, he set a goal of $30,000, which would get the zoo
through the next six months, a workable timeframe for the unstable country.
The fund was established using eight North Carolina Zoo staff on November 27.
By the end of the week it had already raised $46,000 and last Tuesday reached
the cut-off level of $100,000, which officials say is much more than the zoo
needs. The money still trickling in (now up to $130,000 today) will be used
for other welfare animal issues in the war-ravished country, where it is believed
thousands of horses, donkeys and other domestic animals are in distress. "What
you are seeing at the zoo epitomized by this poor old lion is really the tip
of the iceberg of problems," Jones said.
Outside the animal-loving community runs criticism that the money being raised
to stabilize the Kabul Zoo would be more appropriately spent on the war's refugees.
To that, and to those who argue that Kabul's animals should be evacuated instead
of salvaging the zoo, Jones pointed to the zoo's role in Afghan society. Built
in 1967 as an extension of Kabul University with German aid and expertise, Kabul
Zoo under the helm of Gunther Nogge, now director of Cologne Zoo and former
president of the World Zoo Organization, was, by 1972, one of the world's most
modern zoos and a Middle East showpiece, with 417 animals representing 121 mostly
native species. Because of a theological interpretation of the role of animals
in Islam, the Taliban did not shutter the zoo, and during that strict ruling
regime the Kabul Zoo was the one public facility women and children could visit
for entertainment outside the home.
"(Zoos) are very, very popular over there," Jones said. "What I keep saying
to the World Zoo Association, 'The one thing you can do is improve the standards
in many of these third world zoos, because they are very important family destination
sites.' Apart from that, they could be important science and education centers
for the rest of us."
To contribute to the Afghan animal relief fund, send a check or U.S. money order
made out to the North Carolina Zoological Society, 4403 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro,
NC 27203-9416. In the United States you can also make contributions by a toll-free
number, 1-888-244-3736. Updates on the fund and the Kabul Zoo will be posted
at the AZA web site, www.AZA.org.