On 3rd October 2023, I travelled from Islamabad to hafizabad. I took a journey from my university's hostel to my friend's home. It was included in our plan that four of us will gather on one person's residence and we will spend one night. On the following day, we will travel to Lahore. Lahore always remain my favorite city to visit, to explore and to enjoy. There are many reasons behind this likeness of Lahore city. The one major reason is the ancient and centuries long history of Lahore city. I am fond of old Mughal architecture which is appealing in Lahore city.
Our tour's main purpose was actually to testify degree of our common friend. Tour and visit was our second purpose.
In the early morning, we took a public bus and started our journey. We listened some good music in our phones, saw view of outside, saw new faces and strangers in the bus and laughed on our jokes. In all these things time passed and we reached Lahore.
It was the morning of 4th October and our first destination was board of examination. We dropped our one friend over there. We couldn't wait for hours for our friend. That's why we decided to go and spend some time with animals and birds in the zoo.
I was entering the Lahore zoo after ages. Probably I was in 5th standard when I visited this zoo. It was a school trip and this time I came with my friends of school and college. This visit reminded me of my school time.
At first there was a floral decorated Buggy type thing. This is depiction of old era when people and bourgeois class used to travel in buggy.
My friend bought tickets to enter the zoo. One person ticket was 100 Pakistani rupee. It is almost $0.30. We showed our ticket to a security person and entered the zoo.
On entrance, Giraffe Welcomed us but it was busy in drinking water. It was rotating it's long neck and as much thirsty as a thirsty crow used to be in our books.
Not just us but other visitors were also excited to see the long and big Giraffe.
In the following section, Ostriches were having a jolly walk. They were moving like delicate females. These ostriches were really cute. We opened a debate on these ostriches. My friend was arguing that these are not ostriches and I was saying that these are ostriches!
At the end, we ended debate without any proper answer.
Ostriches were marching under the sun. Sun was harsh that day. Sweat was rolling down my cheeks. How this harsh weather would be bearable to these animals and weak animals?
On some steps there were big brown and white rats in artificial tummy of a sparrow. These cute rats were making noise and having their lunch.
In a big cage, there were many birds. The one who got my full attention and attracted my eyes were white parrots. These are really beautiful. After seeing them, only one thought flowed through my mind "This is surely wonder of Allah".
I don't know type and name of each and every bird and specie but everything was reminding of nature. It was reminding me that how beautiful this works is and how beautiful creation is there. 
I saw many visitors were standing on one side and observing something. My curiosity lead me there. I found that these people were seeing lion king who were resting on warm earth.
When I saw these lions, I feel pity for them. These are fierce and are known as king of jungle but in this zoo they are mere exhibition.Moreover, these kings are weak and timid. No matter, how much zoo management feed them and care them but the growth in jungle is different.
There was an ally in which visitors can walk and observe the lions and their activities. These lions were looking very sluggish like they don't want to live here.
Do you remember Jurassic world and Jurassic park movies in which dinosaurs came out of their cages and they became fierce. So what if these lions, animals and birds come out of their cages and barriers. Then the same zoo which is earning source for zoo management, amusement place for visitors will become playground for these animals.
These animals aren't weak but made weak by placing boundaries and cages Infront of them. They are bound to eat, bound to walk and bound to attack and resist. 
There were many lions in different sections and majority of them were walking as they were hungry. Zoo management was feeding them one by one. They know the tactics to deal them. 
In next section, there were beautiful and attractive birds. My friend tried to divert it's attention but to our surprise, white parrot became angry and it sprawled it's wings. It was also making angry voices.
That time, when we were having visit was time of their lunch and every section's supervisors were opening doors and feeding these animals and birds.
These deers were also having their lunch. 
By seeing hippopotamus on the sign board, I headed in the same pointed direction but that hippopotamus section was empty. I became dishearted.
But then I found beautiful and colorful peacock. In my childhood, my father has peacocks as a pet bird. They used to live in our home. They used to dance and I used to clap for them. I remember those childhood days. 
Hope so, everyone will follow this advice of "green and clean future" but sadly no one is concerned about the health of the earth. Everyone is working for his own means and there is everything written in books. In reality there is no work.
I passed by an artificial waterfall. In the lap of this waterfall, some orange color fishes were swimming and enjoying the water.
We almost have explored the complete zoo but still many things were left. There was a wooden canopy under which I took a picture to keep as a memory of bygone times. 
I am not sure about this white color bird. I assume it's erget or may be it's from the same specie. It can be relative of erget! But, it's beautiful. It spreads it's wings and then started swimming in the water.
In the middle of zoo, there was a statue of Suzi Elephant. It's the same Elephant which was iconic symbol of the zoo. Back then, many visitors used to visit only to see Suzi but it died years ago. Suzi's death raised so many questions on zoo and zoo management. There was so much criticism on zoo and people demanded to ban each zoo from the country. In that period, many zoo became band because of poor management.
This board was hanged Infront of a tree. On this note, it was written that tree's age is more than 400 years. It was planted by king of that time in plantation. 
This tree has witnessed so many seasons, passed time and observed millions of people. 
Although, we have taken one complete round of the zoo but still many things we have missed. In curiosity we took another round of the zoo. In this second round, we found many other things like these bears. The funny thing was question of my friend. He asked that these bears are polar bears? 😂 
Believe me, there was many animals who were new to me. These were looking more like goats which big horns. They surprised me and there was no board to define them. 
Finally, I found hippopotamus. My friend was saying that it is rhino. I don't really known. Whatever, it was... It was really astonishing for me. From distance, I thought it is some sort of statue but when I saw it moving. I became surprised and out of surprise, I yelled the name of my friend. He came and he also became happy to see this Rhino.
It was very sluggish and standing only on one place. After a while, it sat down. 
The next home was of tortoise. These tortoise are still very slow and sluggish. I assume they haven't learned yet that the formula of slow and steady is no more applicable.
These slow creatures should learn smart work and strategies to win the race. That formula of slow and steady wins the race is outdated. 
Near the exit gate, I found fossil of kikar tree which is 11 million years old and came to this zoo from chinji national park of district chakwal. 
This kikar tree is older and indeed a treasure. My fellows were tired at this time and they had no energy to walk more. That's why we went out of the zoo to have lunch from somewhere.
See you next 🌺