Monday’s Supreme Court ruling dismissed a Peshawar zoo’s request to import African elephants.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Raja Shafqat Abbasi mentioned a July 2020 CITES Management Authority meeting during the hearing. The conference found the Peshawar Zoo unsuitable for wild African elephants.

September 2020 saw the Peshawar High Court reject the case. An organisation appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court. The petitioner, represented by Advocate Niaz Wali Khan, said they owned two Zimbabwean elephants and fed and maintained them. Importing elephants was denied.

The DAG stated that the PHC had previously requested a CITES Management Authority of Pakistan meeting from the Ministry of Climate Change after the first round of proceedings under Section 15 of the Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act 2012.

The meeting assessed the Peshawar Zoo’s elephant facilities. In July 2020, a meeting found that the zoo could not provide the proper habitat, per the mandate.

According to the petition, Zimbabwe Part Wildlife Department representatives inspected the Peshawar Zoo and found it acceptable for elephants.