• Elephant to remain in enclosure until she adapts to new surroundings, will then be reunited with siblings in the park
• Dr Khalil terms the operation ‘successful teamwork’
• Mayor says aim was to improve her living conditions

KARACHI: An important milestone was achieved in Pakistan’s history on Tuesday when a team of local and international experts and workers successfully relocated zoo elephant Madhubala to the recently developed sanctuary spread over five acres in the Safari Park, freeing her from zoo’s captivity and reuniting her with her sisters — Malika and Sonia — after 15 years.

The 17-year-old African elephant weighing up to three tonnes had been left alone after the tragic death of her partner Noor Jehan over a year ago.

The success story brought government officials, rights activists, foreign envoys and experts together to celebrate animal welfare — a crucial but a neglected subject in Pakistan.

“The aim of the whole exercise was to improve Madhubala’s living conditions. She was confined to a limited space at the zoo and suffered from loneliness after Noor Jehan’s death. Both factors were affecting her health,” said Mayor Murtaza Wahab at the ceremony held at the Safari Park following the elephant’s relocation.

The mayor expressed gratitude to Dr Amir Khalil leading the global animal welfare organisation Four Paws’ team on behalf of Karachiites for assisting the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in the relocation process and building an elephant sanctuary at the Safari Park.

“Dr Amir convinced us that she needs to be reunited with her sisters. We are not experts. The Four Paws team guided us and in turn we facilitated them in their efforts. It was a dream come true,” he said, while congratulating everyone from the zoo department to the Safari staff who had been involved in elephant care.

The mayor also expressed his willingness to work with any international organisation interested in providing assistance to the KMC for animal welfare.

In his remarks, Dr Khalil said that it was a team work that led to the successful completion of the task.

“It was a great experience to work with the KMC and the local experts. Our job wasn’t just Madhubala’s relocation but also providing a species appropriate environment to the elephants so they could live a life closer to their natural habitat.”

Sharing his thoughts, Chief Executive Officer of FP Josef Pfabigan said that rehoming of Madhubala was a gigantic step for better animal welfare in Pakistan.

“It sends a strong signal to other countries around the world where elephants are still kept in private captivity for entertainment purposes,” he said.

The attendees included Ambassador of Bulgaria Irena Gancheva and Austrian Charge d’ Affairs Hannes Machor.

Logistical arrangements

Earlier in the morning, the FP team — Dr Marina Ivanova, Dr Frank Goritz, Velizar Angelov. Mathias Otto, Nora Mihaylova and Pia Einheimler — led by Dr Khalil helped Madhubala voluntarily enter the crate.

The team carried out the logistical mammoth task to lift her up in the air with a crane and position her safely on a truck. As soon as the crate was secured, the convoy accompanied by the police, Rescue 1122, zoo officials and the FP team set off for the Safari Park. It first headed towards the Lyari Expressway and then moved onto Sohrab Goth before reaching Safari Park.

“First, Madhubala will stay in her own temporary enclosure to adapt to her new surroundings and to make first encounters, for now only audible and olfactory ones. Soon we will try to socialise the three sisters. And when the dawn rises tomorrow, a new era is heralded as these three sisters mark living examples that the time of zoo captivity of elephants in Pakistan is finally over,” shared Dr Khalil.

It might be recalled that Madhubala along with her three sisters were separated from their herd in Tanzania and brought to Karachi as calves in 2009.

Their plight in captivity forced activists to file a case in the high court in 2020, which led to the intervention of international veterinary experts in their welfare.

While the fight for their well-being continued and the experts called for providing species appropriate environment to the animals, Noor Jehan met a tragic death in 2023, leaving Madhubala alone.

Since then, plans were announced several times for her relocation but none could be materialised.

The KMC finally signed an agreement with FP on Madhubala’s relocation with her sisters this year in Feb.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024