Court Issues Notices Over Petition Seeking Relocation of Bear ‘Rano’ to Punjab Sanctuary
Oct 8, 2025
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other concerned authorities on a petition calling for the relocation of Rano, a female brown bear currently kept at the Karachi Zoo, to a wildlife sanctuary in Punjab.
A two-member bench led by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro has directed the senior zoo director and Sindh Council for Conservation of Wildlife (SCCW) secretary to appear before the court on October 14 with a report on the bear’s health and species classification.
The petition, filed by animal rights activist Jude Allen Pereira, argues that Rano’s continued confinement at the Karachi Zoo amounts to animal cruelty and violates wildlife protection laws. Pereira requested that the court order her transfer to the Balkasar Bear Sanctuary in Punjab, as earlier recommended by a committee formed by the zoo administration.
According to the petition, there is also confusion about whether Rano is a Syrian brown bear or a Himalayan brown bear—the latter being a critically endangered species. The court has directed officials to clarify her species and determine if she falls under the endangered category.
Advocate Muhammad Jibran Nasir, representing the petitioner, stated that Rano has been kept in solitary confinement for the past eight years in a small, barren concrete enclosure. He said the bear shows clear signs of psychological distress, including pacing, self-isolation, and abnormal vocalization—symptoms associated with captivity-related trauma.
The counsel further maintained that Rano’s current living conditions violate the Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act, 2020, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1890.
The SHC bench has ordered the respondents, including KMC and SCCW, to submit their reports by the next hearing, while the petitioner will amend the petition to include the province of Sindh as a respondent.
