Daily Times

The postmortem report of elephant Noor Jehan who passed away last month in Karachi Zoo, Thursday revealed that she died from blood parasite disease.

Karachi Administrator Dr. Syed Saif-ur-Rahman confirmed the development during a press conference saying that the postmortem report of the dead elephant has been received from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. He said the postmortem was carried out under the scientific and technical supervision of experts and samples of all vital organs were taken to determine the exact cause of death after that full scanning of Madhu Bala and other animals of the zoo has also been done to detect the presence of any germs in them.

There was continuous contact with the doctors and experts of the international organization Fourpaws in connection with the treatment and postmortem of the elephant, while NGOs also provided support and guidance, he added. The Administrator Karachi said that in 2009, four elephants were brought to the Safari Park from Tanzania, a year later, two elephants Noor Jahan and Madhu Bala were transferred to the Karachi Zoo. The treatment was done by Fourpaws doctors and later the elephants were also examined at the zoo, a cavity in the tooth was diagnosed and treated the following year.

In November 2022, Noor Jahan, the elephant, developed swelling in his left leg, for which treatment was given. However, in January 2023, the same problem occurred again and she was suffering due to swelling on his back, he said. He said that Fourpaws specialists were contacted for treatment of the elephant Noorjehan, who did an X-ray and ultrasound and diagnosed hematoma. The consultation was also ensured with the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, KMC, and zoo staff continued to focus on the treatment of the elephant Noor Jahan and for the first time in history an intensive care unit was built in the elephant enclosure.

All facilities and medicines were provided for the treatment of the elephant in the ICU, but despite all these efforts, the elephant died on April 22. On the request of Karachi Zoo and Fourpaws International, Dr. Ghulam Mustafa of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore led the postmortem of the elephant in Karachi Zoo where Dr. Amir Khalil of Fourpaws assisted him in conducting the postmortem.

He said the postmortem report revealed that the elephant Noor Jahan had died due to a parasitic infection in the blood, which could have been caused by an insect bite and it would infect other animals too, therefore all necessary arrangements were made to save other captives.

He said the Sindh government has formed a task force for the welfare of animals kept in zoos and safaris and a new procedure is being devised for this.

He said that tigers, elephants, and other big animals are kept in safaris all over the world, so a special place is being made in the safari park on 19 acres of area to keep elephants so that they can get a natural environment. KMC will also make efforts for breeding animals in zoos and Safari Park.