Visitors Mediated Spatio-Temporal Variation in Noise Pollution of Lahore Zoo and Possible Effects on Animal Behavior

Lahore Zoo is an ex-situ conservation facility housing various indigenous and exotic species of captive wild animals and is a source of gratification for visitors, especially children. The location of Lahore Zoo is very prominent in this regard, making it a most active and accessible tourist/visitor destination. On average working days, around 3000-4000 visitors are recorded in Lahore Zoo, which can shoot up to 20,000 on peak weekends and public holidays. The present investigation was carried out to measure spatial and temporal variation in sound levels (dB (A)) at selected sites, along with on-site behavioral recording of selected animals throughout the week. Spatial analysis (Inverse Distance Weighted -IDW) of recorded sound data was done with ArcGIS 10.5 software. A comprehensive questionnaire was also designed to determine visitors' attitudes toward this issue. Results for sound level reveal that the average sound level was under the WHO limits mostly during weekdays, where the average visitor number ranges from 3838 to 4148. On weekends, it goes from 8950 to 19154 visitors with loud noise recorded at most sites. Results from the general ethogram revealed that socially interactive species like monkeys, deer, and bears were more responsive towards visitors, unlike felines (leopard, tiger and lion) which increased their resting period with increased visitor density. Highlighted noisy areas by surveyed visitors were Tiger, Lion, Deer, Monkey, Aquarium, Rhino, Wolf, Cafeteria, Bird section, Ostrich, Camel, Snake House, Zebra, Giraffe, and Bear. To combat this issue, an awareness campaign has been done in the zoo to educate visitors.