Elephant Sonia dies at Karachi's Safari Park

KARACHI: Sonia the elephant, a long-time resident of Safari Park, passed away suddenly last night, Geo News reported on Sunday.

Her lifeless body was discovered by the park staff early this morning.

Director of Safari Park, Syed Amjad Hussain Zaidi, said that while a heart attack is suspected, the exact cause of Sonia's death will only be confirmed after a post-mortem examination.

Speaking to Geo News, Zaidi said: "We received the news about Sonia at around 6:30 in the morning, and we immediately came here. As of now, we cannot determine the cause of death because, obviously, it will only be confirmed after the post-mortem."

"We have secured her body and placed ice around it. The weather is cold, so we will be able to preserve her remains," he added.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab expressed his sadness on hearing of the creatures demise. “I am saddened to hear about the death of the elephant Sonia at Safari Park,” he said. 

The mayor has ordered an investigation into the incident and assured strict action if any negligence is found. Wahab also confirmed that a complete post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of death.

The autopsy is expected to take place in two days under the supervision of Dr Amir Khalil, Director of Project Development at the animal welfare organisation Four Paws International.

Until the procedure is completed, Sonia's body will remain at Safari Park.

Previously named Sonu, the tusker was mistaken as a male by the Safari Park for 12 years until the examination by Four Paws in 2021.

She was captured from the wild in Tanzania when she was very young together with three other female elephants.

Now, with Sonia's death, Safari Park has now been left with only two elephants: Malika and Madhubala.

Sonia's death comes just a couple of weeks after the transfer of Madhubala, earlier housed at Karachi Zoo, to Safari Park.

It was done to provide more natural environment and companions to Madhubala after her long-time companion Noor Jahan died at the zoo last year.

After the death of Noor Jahan, the concerned animal experts advised shifting Madhubala to the Safari Park, where she would get the company of two animals.