Recently, we planned a picnic away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Overwhelmed by the idea of enjoying a sunny spring afternoon, we hoped to find a clean, green and peaceful getaway — ideally, where families could gather comfortably under the trees and enjoy hot cups of tea.

Next, we had landed at the Lahore Safari Park. It’s a place that I had been talking to my children about, for its natural beauty. Unfortunately, when we reached the park, what we saw blew our minds away. The place was choked — there were hordes of people who were enjoying all sorts of things, from board games to cooking and lying about on the mats they had brought with them. Worse, there were empty food cans everywhere, as well as fruit skins, food leftovers, plastic bags and what not. I was saddened to see how one of the city’s most popular parks had been ravaged by our ethical decay.

Clearly, the park authorities aren’t doing their job well. The grass looked like it hadn’t been watered in a long time and one missed flowers. The animals in their cages looked desolate and abandoned. The cages too appeared unkempt.

The slides were dirty and even from a distance the play area looked like the breeding ground of all sorts of bacteria and viruses. The visitors would dump every possible thing in the pool water which had grown into a large mound of rubbish. Also, there were fewer public toilets (than required) and no water fountains at all.

Part of the problem was that there were very few trash bins at the park. Though, I didn’t think it would’ve mattered much, considering how we tend to litter. It is up to the park authorities to strictly enforce the no-littering rule.

I once came across a research paper on the internet which was quite interesting and offered solutions that our park authorities could make use of. The paper said, “Results show that the median income of people in a town is the best predictor of the total amount of litter found in the parks within the same town. Using this model, local municipalities can examine where to focus clean-up and educational efforts in order to lower pollution levels within the target areas.”

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The crowd and the cleanliness issues aside, we all enjoyed our visit to the Safari Park, especially the stuffed animals in the Snake House. It’s a recent addition.

Everyone was taking pictures with their mobile phones, amid the stuffed creatures such as peacock, deer, cheetah, wolf and their cubs.

The location of Safari Park is indeed serene and peaceful, miles off the main city. If taken care of, with a proper planning for its upkeep and decoration, the place can boost city tourism.

Through this column, I would request the authorities to pay attention to the issues faced by this enormous park which has the potential to grow into one of the city’s modern-day landmarks.

The visitors must also learn to value such community spaces and contribute to keeping them clean. In addition to causing damage to the ecosystems, refuse and litter can adversely affect the wildlife, human health and the aesthetic value of the place.

Conventional wisdom suggests that public parks must be attractive, safe and have adequate amenities and features that meet the needs of the people with differing interests. Parks can provide health benefits and increase opportunities for both children and adults to be physically active. Studies show that parks and open spaces enhance mental health by facilitating contact with nature and help people develop supportive community relationships.

Other studies say that by increasing access to areas where people can be physically active, children are less likely to be overweight or obese.

Vandalism, poor maintenance, or incidents of crime can all make your visit to a park uncomfortable and unsafe. In the times of the pandemic, the public must strictly follow the SOPs before they enter the parks. But all that is possible only if the authorities take these places seriously.

Clearly, the park authorities aren’t doing their job well. The grass looked like it hadn’t been watered in a long time, and one missed flowers around. The animals in their cages looked desolate and abandoned. The cages too appeared unkempt.