KARACHI: In yet another tragic incident, Sonia, an African female elephant at Karachi’s famous Safari Park, breathed her last.
According to officials of the park, Sonia was healthy and had been eating normally until her unexpected death.
The administration on Sunday stated that staff found Sonia’s body early in the morning. A post-mortem examination will be carried out to ascertain the reasons behind Sonia’s death.
Earlier, the 17-year-old African elephant, Noor Jehan, died at Karachi Zoo. The elephant, Noor Jehan underwent emergency treatment for a tumour in Karachi on April 5 but died days later. She was provided medical assistance under the supervision of international experts.
The female elephant fell into the pond at Pakistan’s Karachi Zoo when Noor Jehan was experiencing initial signs of recovery from serious health complications.
The four African elephants, Madhubala, Noor Jehan, Sonia and Malika, came to Pakistan in 2009 after they were caught in the wild at a young age. Arriving in Karachi, Madhubala and Noor Jehan were brought to Karachi Zoo, while Sonia and Malika, came to Karachi Safari Park.
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In November 2021, the Sindh High Court in Pakistan directed FOUR PAWS, a Vienna based global animal welfare organisation to assess the health and wellbeing of the four elephants. They were all found in need of proper diet and medical treatment.
Noor Jehan and Madhubala also required dental surgery due to infections caused by broken tusks. Following the death of Noor Jehan, Madhubala was Pakistan’s last captive African elephant in a zoo.
In 2020 an elephant Kaavan was relocated to Cambodia at a specialised sanctuary after the creature was rescued from grim conditions in the Islamabad Zoo.
