Lahore Zoo has been privatized and a contract has been awarded to a private company for Rs 500 million, covering parking, entrances and other miscellaneous services.
The Punjab Wildlife Department achieved significant success in the auction of zoo services, surpassing the reserve price of Rs 320 million by Rs 180 million.
The contract includes the management of car parks on Mall Road and Lawrence Road, entrances to various attractions such as the aquarium, the snake house, the aviary and new virtual reality experiences.
The entrance fee to the zoo is set at Rs 100, with separate charges for additional attractions such as the snake house (Rs 200), the aviary (Rs 100) and the zoo’s holoverse experience (Rs 300).
Project Director Mudasir Hassan expressed his satisfaction with the outcome and attributed the success to the effective strategy implemented by the management committee of DG Wildlife and Zoos.
He also mentioned that additional auctions of electric swings, horse rides, jumping castles and cafeteria services would generate more income for the zoo.
The contractor will be responsible for maintaining the machinery and property, as well as caring for the zoo’s birds, reptiles and fish. However, the zoo administration will continue to take care of the care and feeding of the other animals.
The contractor will deploy its staff at ticket offices and parking areas, while zoo staff will handle other operational tasks.
The privatization comes after a major renovation project started by the interim government in 2023.
The renovation, which cost Rs 183 million, has brought new animals, birds and reptiles to the zoo, with some international species yet to arrive. The project also included the installation of a holo-verse virtual reality facility, costing approximately Rs 20 million.
The privatization of the zoo is planned for a period of three years and the company is expected to take over in the first week of January 2025.
The contractor will see a 10% increase in the contract amount in the second year.
The zoo is expected to attract about 2.8 million visitors a year, and the company will have to pay the administration 10% of the entrance fee for visitors who exceed that estimate.
Wildlife authorities have assured that privatization will not lead to an increase in general entry or parking fees, which remain Rs 100 each. However, new services introduced as part of the renewal will have separate charges.
