FOR most, the news will perhaps not even register. Another elephant has died in captivity in Pakistan. The death is just the latest in a long line of elephants lost by Pakistani zookeepers to preventable causes. Saheli was the first to die; in 2012, she succumbed to injuries from the chains she was bound in by the Islamabad Zoo. Her surviving partner, Kaavan, came to be known as the “world’s loneliest elephant”; he only found sanctuary in Cambodia in 2020 after an international effort. In the interim, Lahore Zoo lost its only elephant, Suzi, in 2017, again to injuries caused by neglect. Last year, Karachi Zoo lost Noor Jehan despite frantic efforts to cure her of a protracted illness. Her sister, Madhubala, grieved alone for more than a year before she was recently shifted to Karachi’s Safari Park to be with her remaining sisters, Sonia and Malika.

Alas, tragedy followed her there, and Sonia tragically passed away on Sunday, less than two weeks after being reunited with Madhubala. Initial reports state Sonia may have died of sudden heart failure, although this will be confirmed once the findings of an autopsy are released. Elephants are highly empathetic creatures who feel grief and stress and mourn the loss of their dead. One wonders what effect Sonia’s passing will have on Madhubala, who has now lost two companions in two years. These gentle giants display traits similar to those exhibited by human beings. It is perhaps for this reason that they are loved and revered, even worshipped, in cultures around the world. They are also known to be compassionate, even helping other species when they see them in distress. This makes the stories of Pakistan’s long-suffering elephants all the more tragic. They have not been treated with the care and kindness they deserve. Perhaps it would be better if they, like Kaavan, were shipped off to gentler hosts. We clearly do not deserve them.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2024