LAHORE: The Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department is importing 12 giraffes – three for the Lahore Zoo and the remaining nine for the Safari Zoo.

Wildlife Department’s Deputy Director (publicity) Mudassar Hassan told Dawn on Friday that the 12 giraffes being imported at a cost of Rs140m from South Africa would reach here this month.

He said the department had imported three giraffes for the zoo in 2018, but two of them died and the zoo was left with one such animal. The zoo safari, however, will have giraffes for the first time, he said.

He said it was yet to be decided whether the giraffes would be brought directly to Lahore or land in Karachi.

He said if the giraffes landed in Karachi, it would take them at least 18 hours more to reach Lahore by road, which would be quite hectic for the animals. — Shoaib Ahmed