ISLAMABAD - Islamabad Zoo, once the most visited spot by Islooites, now wears a 'ghost town look as the influx of visitors dies down with the rising security concerns and incidents of terrorism across the country. Situated at the foothills of the Margalla Hills, Islamabad Zoo offers tremendous joy and recreation to the people from different age groups due to its natural wild field environment. It has great domestic significance as well. Besides, many foreign tourists and children particularly visit the natural habitat of the animals in the centre of Damn-e-Koh Hills. It also offers people a good chance to learn about various animals and birds. The park was set up in 1978 to provide refuge to the deer and the leopard, found in this area during winter. The unique characteristic of the zoo is its natural environment with diverse kind of wildlife species that were mostly donated by different wildlife organisations. The picnic resorts of the twin cities that were splendour source of attraction for the visitors are giving deserted look because of the prevailing security of the country. Similar to other recreational spots, the number of visitors to the Islamabad Zoo has drastically declined that has also resulted in financial loses of the management. According to available statistics of the Capital Development Authority with TheNation, over 2,300 people daily visit Marghazar Zoo (Islamabad Zoo), which earned around Rs 2.5 million a year. The number of visitors increases remarkably during official vacations and weekends. It has been witnessed that now hardly a few people visit the area even on holidays. The situation can be judged from the fact that a popcorn seller at the zoo said that earlier he could earn Rs 5,000 daily, and now he could hardly get amount of 500 to 700 daily.