In a major win for animal welfare, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has halted the controversial transfer of endangered Brazilian rainforest monkeys from Karachi to the Lahore Zoo, potentially saving their lives.
The decision, handed down on June 24 by Justice Shahid Karim, came in the case of Altamush Saeed v. Government of Punjab. The court granted a stay against a May 6 directive from the Ministry of Climate Change, which had ordered the relocation of the monkeys currently being cared for by the ACF Foundation in Karachi.
The court’s intervention comes after growing public concern over the proposed transfer, led by civil society, environmental advocates, and animal rights groups. Representing the case were Altamush Saeed and Ahmed Shoaib Atta from Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants (EARC) Pakistan — the country’s first dedicated animal and environmental law firm and research think tank.
Their court case focused on the well-documented poor conditions at the Lahore Zoo, where extreme heat, inadequate veterinary services, and a history of animal deaths have drawn sharp criticism from both national and international organizations, including WWF Pakistan. These conditions, they argued, make the zoo wholly unfit to house vulnerable and endangered species, especially those protected under international conservation laws.
By granting the stay, the court has paused the relocation and issued notices to relevant government departments. A full hearing on the matter is now scheduled for September 2025. In the meantime, the monkeys will remain under the care of professionals in Karachi, avoiding a potentially life-threatening move.
But while the stay order has provided temporary relief, advocates stress that the ultimate goal remains repatriation. These rare monkeys belong in the Amazon rainforest, not in any facility in Pakistan. Welfare activists are now calling on global animal welfare organizations to support efforts to return the animals to their natural habitat.
