Crippled Pakistani elephant Noor Jehan at Karachi Zoo, who was given a fighting chance to survive by an international animal welfare organisation, is in dire straits again. Days after the team left in March with instructions to Karachi Zoo authorities on her care, the 17-year-old elephant fell into a dry cemented pond in her enclosure. It took three hours for the authorities to get her out, and now on Thursday, doctors said she had “low chances of survival.”
The incident has sparked anger across Pakistan especially because Four Paws International, which had been taking care of Noor since 2021, had recommended that she be shifted to a wildlife sanctuary.
“Lying on a pile of sand, her eyes barely open. Noor Jehan, is barely making any movement after having fallen into a cemented pond in her cage, Dawn reported.
Her story, one of hope, now has become a tragic tale as her condition worsened. The Karachi Zoo authorities did not have appropriate equipment, and it took them three hours to get her out.
Noor Jehan, who is already a patient in intensive care, has endured severe physical trauma for three months. The elephant’s muscle mass has diminished, her vertebrae is deformed, and her legs are deformed.
A group of veterinarians from Four Paws, an international animal welfare organisation, who had been monitoring her health travelled to Karachi last week to help the elephant. During their brief journey, they reported that the elephant had been injured within the past few months, resulting in internal bleeding and a hematoma — an aggregation of blood within a restricted tissue space — in her abdomen.
The team had administered medications and performed complex procedures to heal the elephant, but had warned that she would require intensive aftercare before departing. They also provided the institution with a set of instructions to follow.
Among the only two remaining elephants in Karachi Zoo, Four Paws had earlier suggested relocating them to the Safari Zoo.
However, it appears that the zoo has not adhered to these regulations.
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No country for animals
Noor Jehan’s condition has angered many. Earlier, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari, stated that the Karachi Zoo should be closed “because it is clearly beyond the capacity of KMC”.
The animal welfare organisation Protect All Wildlife stated that Noor Jehan did not deserve to be at the Karachi Zoo.
“How was this permitted to occur? We are constantly told that zoos are about conservation and preservation,” it tweeted.
A Twitter user linked Noor Jehan to the ‘collapse of the nation.’
Aap ko aisay ‘wild’ janwar apnay bacho ko dikhanay hai? This is our entertainment? Watching imprisoned animals suffer long painful illnesses that stem from R lack of care wile not having a clue on how to fix it. The collapse of Noor Jehan is symbolic to the collapse of our nation pic.twitter.com/kxPyRXwJgt
— ayesha chundrigar (@a_chundrigar) April 14, 2023
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The lack of care
Noor Jehan has been living with only one elephant, Madhubala since coming to the Karachi Zoo. They were reportedly captured and separated from their mothers in Tanzania. A controversial agreement brought them to Pakistan. Since their arrival at the zoo, animal lovers have been concerned about their wellbeing, Dawn reported.
On the orders of the Sindh High Court, which was petitioned by a group of citizens concerned about the plight of animals, they underwent major operations for chronic tusk infection. The animal, who had extensive tusk surgery in 2022, is once again in agony. This time, however, the illness has rendered her partially immobile.
According to zoo officials, the elephant acquired the condition approximately two months ago and has been receiving pain medication since then. According to them, her condition has improved.
Animal welfare organisation Free The Wild Global also called for immediate action on the zoo and KMC, and that the world was watching its actions.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)