Team of foreign vets tackles tough tusk task on Karachi Zoo elephants

Veterinarians from a global animal welfare organisation, Four Paws, performed a successful dental surgery on 16-year-old elephant Madhubala at the Karachi Zoo on Wednesday, while the same procedure will be carried out on 17-year old elephant Noor Jehan today.

The operation lasted five hours and 40 minutes, and the veterinarians said Madhubala was doing fine. The team had arrived in Karachi earlier this week for medical treatment of four female African elephants owned by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

Two of the animals have been kept at the Karachi Zoological Gardens and the other two at the Safari Park. The international team of vets has carried out dental treatment, which includes root canal, of the elephants at the Karachi Zoo on Wednesday.

Four Paws Director Dr Amir Khalil from Austria told The News on that the elephants in Karachi Zoo had been suffering from “severe dental problems”. Roots of elephants’ tusks, he said, were infected and that was causing them excruciating pain.

In May 2022, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had allowed two identical petitions by Paws and a citizen, Owais Awan, calling for medical care of the elephants. Speaking to The News, Awan said they had filed a petition in April 2021 as the local authorities refused to get the elephants medically examined.

After the SHC directed the authorities to get the animals assessed, a team of Four Paws visited the Karachi Zoo and Safari Park, examined the annals and then performed the surgery later. The team removed the dead tissue, cleaned the root canal, and taught a local team how to conduct regular post-treatment flushing to prevent inflammation and sustain hygiene of the wounds. This method has been used to treat other kinds of animals, like horses but never on an elephant before.

The cost for treatment is covered by Four Paws from donations from our supporters all around the world. The Four Paws team works closely with the local veterinarians and the animal keepers. Additionally, during each visit, the team joins a meeting with the local staff and veterinarians to exchange knowledge and experiences. “It is very important to us to improve the life of the last four elephants in Pakistan,” said Khalil.