Pakistan’s First Wildlife Hospital Now Open in Lahore
Officials say the new wildlife hospital in Lahore is the first of its kind built anywhere in Pakistan. It is meant only for wild animals, birds and rescued species, not pets or livestock.
The Punjab Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department confirmed the project as part of its ongoing wildlife care programme at Safari Zoo Lahore. The announcement was reported by Radio Pakistan and the Associated Press of Pakistan after a briefing to Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.
This matters because wild animals cannot always be treated the same way as pets or farm animals. Different species need different handling, different anaesthesia and different recovery care. A hospital built only for wildlife can plan around those needs from the start.
What the Lahore Facility Offers
The hospital has 12 operation theatres and two examination rooms. That is a large number for a single wildlife site, and it suggests the province expects a steady flow of cases rather than the odd emergency.
The facility sits next to emergency care, quarantine and rescue recovery units that already run at Safari Zoo. This means a rescued animal can move from emergency treatment to surgery to rehabilitation without being shifted across the city.
That kind of setup can save time in urgent cases. A wounded bird or an injured leopard often needs care within hours, not days, so having every stage of treatment under one roof can make a real difference to survival rates.
Officials have not yet shared full details on staff numbers, equipment lists or the annual budget for running the hospital. Those figures usually become clearer once a facility moves from construction to daily operation.
Part of a Bigger Wildlife Push in Punjab
The hospital is not a standalone project. On September 4, Punjab launched its first Wildlife Hospital on Wheels and a Mobile Veterinary Clinic to reach animals outside Lahore. Both projects are meant to bring veterinary support closer to rural and remote districts.
Punjab has been investing in public infrastructure across its cities this year, from new padel courts going up in Lahore to wildlife and forest projects. Together, these show a wider pattern of provincial development spending stretching well beyond the capital.
The province has also prepared 920 GIS maps for wildlife management, digitised 108 protected areas, and declared 104 Wildlife Protected Areas. Regional centres in Kallar Kahar, Multan, Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad are now linked to this mapping system.
Three Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres are already running, and GPS collar trackers are being used to follow the movement and safety of wild animals across the province. Officials say this data will help spot patterns in animal movement and human wildlife conflict before they turn into bigger problems.
Rescue Numbers So Far
Punjab reported large rescue and enforcement totals in its September 4 statement. These numbers give an early sense of how much pressure the new hospital may face once it becomes fully operational.
Rescue numbers alone do not show how many animals survived treatment or how many were released back into the wild. Officials will need to publish admission, survival and release figures separately for the public to judge how well the new hospital is performing.
Why the Punjab Wildlife Census Matters
Alongside the hospital, Punjab is running a Rs530 million Wildlife Census in partnership with IUCN Pakistan. The project runs from April 2024 to June 2026 and covers wildlife populations, habitats and threats across the province.
The census includes surveys of species such as the urial, chinkara, nilgai, hog deer, Indus dolphin, pangolin and houbara bustard. IUCN says the goal is to support conservation planning and policy decisions based on real data rather than guesswork.
This data matters because treatment alone does not save a species. Officials also need to know where animals live, which areas face the most threats, and where conflict between humans and wildlife is rising. A hospital works best when it is backed by this kind of information.
Habitat and Land Challenges Remain
Protecting habitat is often harder than building a hospital. Land disputes have slowed conservation work in Pakistan before, similar to the Shimla Hill Park land issue in Abbottabad, which shows how local land questions can affect public projects long after they are announced.
An animal that survives surgery still needs a safe place to live once it is released. That is why protected areas, habitat mapping and field enforcement remain closely tied to any wildlife health programme, no matter how advanced the treatment facility is.
| Earlier Approach | New Punjab Model |
|---|---|
| Treatment tied to existing zoo facilities | Dedicated wildlife hospital |
| Fixed locations only | Fixed hospital plus mobile veterinary units |
| Manual records in many operations | GIS mapping and GPS tracking |
| Limited province wide wildlife data | Rs530 million Wildlife Census |
| Rescue handled case by case | Rescue linked to rehabilitation centres |
The Main Challenges Ahead
Specialist staffing is one of the biggest open questions. Wildlife medicine covers many species with very different sizes, temperaments and handling needs. Training enough specialist vets will take time even after the building itself is ready.
Transport is another concern. Lahore cannot serve every wildlife case directly, since Punjab covers a large area with regional offices spread across several divisions. Mobile clinics can help close this gap, but response times will still matter in emergencies.
Running costs will also decide how well the hospital performs over time. Medicine, equipment upkeep, transport and staff salaries all need steady funding long after the construction budget is spent.
What Happens Next
The real test for this project will be admissions, survival rates and successful releases, not the size of the building. Regular public reporting on these numbers would help track progress and build public trust in the programme.
It would also help policymakers see where more mobile clinics, rehabilitation centres or specialist staff are needed across the province, rather than concentrating resources only in Lahore.
The hospital also adds to a string of recent stories putting Pakistan in a positive light internationally, following news like Izyana Umair’s Guinness World Records nomination. Whether other provinces follow Punjab’s model will depend on funding, local wildlife needs and political will in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pakistan’s first wildlife hospital located?
It has been completed at Safari Zoo Lahore, according to Radio Pakistan and the Punjab government briefing.
How many operation theatres does the wildlife hospital have?
The facility has 12 operation theatres and two examination rooms.
Is the wildlife hospital only for zoo animals?
No. It is built for wild animals, birds and other rescued species, though a full case list has not been released yet.
What other wildlife services has Punjab launched?
Punjab has launched a Wildlife Hospital on Wheels and a Mobile Veterinary Clinic, along with three rehabilitation centres.
How many wildlife protected areas does Punjab have?
Punjab has declared 104 Wildlife Protected Areas and digitised 108 of them.
What is the Punjab Wildlife Census?
It is a Rs530 million project run with IUCN Pakistan to collect scientific data on wildlife species, habitats and threats.
