Rano the Bear to Finally Return Home After Two Decades in Captivity
Adnan Athar
Karachi, Pakistan —
After spending over two decades in captivity, Rano, a brown bear kidnapped from Gilgit-Baltistan as a cub, is finally being freed and will return to his native homeland on Tuesday.
Rano’s story is one of heartbreaking endurance. Kidnapped at the age of one by poachers and falsely sold as a “Syrian bear” to Karachi’s private Sam Zoo, Rano was later transferred to the Karachi Zoo in 2017 under an animal exchange program. Now aged 21 or 22, he has spent nearly half his life confined in an environment drastically different from his natural habitat.
Unnatural Conditions, Lifelong Suffering
Wildlife experts emphasize that Rano’s species thrives in cold climates and requires months of hibernation in snowy mountain caves. But in the sweltering heat and constant noise of Karachi’s Garden area zoo, Rano was deprived of rest, peace, and the rhythms of nature.
Court Intervention and Rescue Mission
The turning point came when animal rights activist Jude Allen filed a petition in the Sindh High Court, represented by lawyer Jibran Nasir. Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, overseeing the case, ordered Rano’s relocation — initially to Islamabad, but later approved a direct transfer to Gilgit-Baltistan, thanks to a revised plan by the Sindh government.
Airlift and New Beginnings
On Tuesday, Rano will be airlifted aboard a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft to Islamabad, where he will acclimate before moving to Gilgit. A secure enclosure is already under construction to welcome him back to the mountains he once called home.
Funding and Oversight
The Sindh government has allocated Rs. 2.5 million for Rano’s transfer and new habitat — a symbolic return of the revenue he helped generate through zoo ticket sales. A special committee has been formed to oversee the move and assess the condition of other zoo animals.
Next Steps
The committee’s findings, along with updates on Rano’s relocation, will be presented in the next court hearing on November 6. Preliminary reports suggest dire conditions for many animals still at the Karachi Zoo, prompting further scrutiny from the court.
Rano’s journey from captivity to freedom marks a rare victory for animal rights in Pakistan — and a long-overdue homecoming for a bear who never belonged behind bars.
