ISLAMABAD: International vets “nearly lost” a seventeen-year-old elephant in Pakistan after bringing her out to perform diagnostic tests on Wednesday. However, they now hope to treat multiple problems that have left her crippled for months.
Noor Jehan has been nearly unable to walk around her enclosure at Karachi Zoo due to a huge growth between her back legs, generating concern among keepers and visitors.
A team of wildlife experts and veterinarians from Four Paws International intervened after pictures of the ailing African elephant were posted across social media.
Veterinarian Amir Khalil told journalists that they nearly lost Noor Jehan when they gave the sedative. It was a very risky procedure.
A huge crane was used on Wednesday to lift the 3.5-ton elephant after she had been tranquilized.
Ultrasound and other examinations suggest Noor Jehan has a big hematoma inside her abdomen, as well as problems with her intestines.
Khalil said that Noor Jehan was clearly in serious suffering and pain.
He added that there is a treatment for this issue, but it requires some luck and a lot of work in the next few days.
Zoos in Pakistan are frequently criticized for ignoring animal welfare, and in 2020 a court ordered the only zoo in Islamabad to shut down due to its decrepit state.
Kaavan elephant
The zoo drew international condemnation and criticism for its treatment of Kaavan, an Asian elephant, who was later airlifted to retirement in Cambodia in a project spearheaded by US actor and popstar Cher and carried out by Four Paws.
Last year a zoo in Lahore called off plans to auction twelve lions to private individuals after overbreeding, saying it would establish new enclosures for them instead.
