Elephants Noor Jehan and Mahubala at Karachi Zoo

Pakistan's last captive elephants

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Working towards a better future for the #KarachiElephants

In November 2021, the Sindh High Court in Pakistan called on FOUR PAWS to assess the wellbeing of four African elephants in Karachi Zoo and Karachi Safari Park in Pakistan. All female, between the ages of 16 and 17, they are the last known captive elephants in the country. The assessment found all elephants in need of proper diet, enrichment, and medical treatment. FOUR PAWS also strongly recommended that all four elephants be reunited at Karachi Safari Park.

The elephants – caught in the wild at a young age – came to Pakistan together in 2009 and were separated after their arrival. Noor Jehan and Madhubala were moved to Karachi Zoo while Malika and Sonu were brought to Karachi Safari Park.

Follow our journey to help these elephants come together in a species-appropriate environment.

Help us to help them

2023

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April 22nd

A heartbreaking goodbye to Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan passed away this morning. Despite all our tireless efforts and the endless work of the team on-site, we could not get her back on her feet. She fought for days but succumbed to her critical condition. As agreed with the authorities, we recommend that Madhubala should be relocated as soon as possible to a species appropriate place to at least give her a chance at a better life. Noor Jehan's tragic story is a reminder of the suffering that captive wild animals endure in Pakistan and around the world. Read more.

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April 21st

Noor Jehan's story
Until the authorities make a decision about Noor Jehan's future, we will continue working hard to help her and ease her pain. There is a chance that she can recover and we will do all we can for her. FOUR PAWS is returning as soon as possible to Karachi to support in its best capacity. We want to thank all the volunteers and the mahouts who have been on Noor Jehan’s site day and night over the last week, even during the special times of Ramadan. They are all doing their best to comfort her: turning her from side to side, feeding her food and medicine. Watch the video to learn more about Noor Jehan. Please support our work to help animals like Noor Jehan.

April 19th

Noor Jehan's life still hangs in the balance
A committee of national and international experts and veterinarians will advise on how to proceed with Noor Jehan’s future. Until the government has formed a decision, we will continue to help and ease her suffering. At the same time, we are still concerned about the relocation of Madhubala. The federal and Sindh government are considering shutting down the Karachi Zoo permanently. This could be a turning point for the welfare of wild animals in captivity in Pakistan. Please support our efforts.

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April 17th

A critical situation for Noor Jehan
Sadly, despite best efforts and ongoing supervision and support from FOUR PAWS, the health condition of Noor Jehan is not improving. Although we have made several attempts, she is unable to stand on her own, and her condition remains critical and uncertain. An urgent committee of international and national experts and veterinarians will advise on how to proceed with Noor Jehan's future. Meanwhile, the on-site team is doing everything possible to ease her suffering, and we appreciate everyone involved in this effort. We urge for the immediate transfer of the healthy elephant, Madhubala, to prevent another tragedy.

April 13th

New worries about Noor Jehan
FOUR PAWS received an urgent call about Noor Jehan. She was already laying for some hours in the pool in her enclosure, unable to get up by herself. The FOUR PAWS team immediately advised to arrange a crane to get her out of the pool and worked until late at night together with the local team via video calls to find possible solutions to save her and provide emergency medical treatment. Noor Jehan is weak and resting on the sand pile next to the tree, but our team is constantly monitoring and supervising her, giving her the best care possible. We won't give up on her!

April 6th

Noor Jehan's diagnosis
Noor Jehan's examination was a success! The team supported her with ropes carried by a crane to perform the planned assessment. Due to her condition Noor Jehan wasn't strong enough to stand on her own. The examination showed that she had suffered an inner hematoma with a damaged pelvic diaphragm, likely caused by a trauma. This explains her pain and unusual body position. The team conducted numerous tests and treated her open wounds as well as applied medications, vitamins, pain killers, and hydrotherapy. The following days after the examination we could already see slight improvements and there is hope of recovery if the Zoo follows the mandatory recommendations by FOUR PAWS. Read more about her examination, diagnosis and recovery plan here.

April 4th

Back at Karachi Zoo
Today our team arrived in Karachi and rushed to the Zoo to get an impression of Noor Jehan’s condition and to finalise the logistics planning for the important examination. Due to her immobilisation Noor Jehan needs to be stabilised and our team came up with a special plan for that: the elephant will be supported with a crane and ropes during the planned sedation and examination. Just from looking into her eyes we can see the pain Noor Jehan is in. Her partner Madhubala often stands next to her to protect her. Tomorrow will be an important day, which should give us more clarity about the reason for Noor Jehan‘s deteriorating health condition. Read the full story here.

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April 3rd

Emergency Mission for Noor Jehan
Elephant Noor Jehan is in urgent need of help! Since our evaluation in August and our recommendation to relocate the two zoo elephants, nothing has been done. Now heartbreaking footage from the Karachi Zoo shows Noor Jehan in critical health condition! She can hardly put weight on her hind limbs – this body posture indicates that she is in excruciating pain. FOUR PAWS has finally received the invitation from the Karachi authorities to help Noor Jehan, and our team of veterinarians is rushing to Karachi right now to provide urgent medical help. We urge the authorities to relocate Noor Jehan and Madhubala to a safer, species-appropriate home! Please support our mission to help Noor Jehan.

2022

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October

Health Status Update of all four elephants
Both Noor Jehan and Madhubala are pain free and their wounds are healing well! We receive regular updates on their recovery process from the caretakers and local veterinarians. The keepers treat the elephants wounds twice a day, and the local vets check on the healing process regularly. At the end of September, the elephants had finished their antibiotics and anti-inflammatory treatment.

We are also receiving regular reports from Safari Park on the conditions of the feet of elephants Malika and Sonja, and we are incredibly happy to see the progress the caretakers achieved through regular foot care. Watch this moving video for a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to make this mission possible.

August 18th

Noor Jehan is recovering well
Our team of veterinarian experts successfully operated on Noor Jehan today. The surgery lasted nearly four hours. While the surrounding tissue was severely infected, the tusk was not as rotten as Madhubala's. The team cut and flattened the tusk and then removed the inflamed tissue. Like Madhubala, Noor Jehan received pain killers, antibiotics, and vaccinations. The team didn’t find any inflammations, but a small tumor which was removed, and samples were sent to the laboratory. The elephants will receive post-operational treatment.

Madhubala receives dental surgery | Karachi Zoo | 2023

August 17th

Madhubala's operation was a success
After more than 5 intense hours, our team on site is happy to report that the surgery went well and elephant Madhubala is feeling fine! The tooth was 40 cm long and rotten, which is why it was difficult to remove in one piece. The root is still inside but with flushing twice a day, we expect the healing process to go well – inside and out. Madhubala, is already eating! We are very happy about the results and are excited for tomorrow's treatment of Noor Jehan.

August 16th

Team is on-site and preparing
Our team is on site at Karachi Zoo and spent all of yesterday making the final preparations for Noor Jehan and Madhubala's upcoming extraordinary dental surgery. Much of the equipment had to be custom-made by hand for such giant patients, thus, our team has been working toward this operation for months – organising, training the elephants, and building the special tools.

Tomorrow, the veterinarian experts will operate on Madhubala, and then Noor Jehan the following day. We also visited Malika and Sonu at the Karachi Safari Park and were happy to see that they are doing fine. The caretakers received training on how to take care of the elephants' feet, which already look much better!

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August 11th

Training the elephants for surgery
Mathias Otto, an elephant specialist, is already on site for our arrival in Karachi next week. His mission is to use positive reinforcement training to prepare Noor Jehan and Madhubala to lift their trunks for their surgeries. Both elephants are quick learners and have welcomed the additional attention and exercise.

Note: Any advertisements that may appear during the viewing of this video are unrelated to FOUR PAWS. We assume no liability for this content.

August 10th

Urgnent dental surgery needed
The situation for Noor Jehan and Madhubala has worsened. There is a lot of swelling around Noor Jehan's tusk sockets, a sign that they are seriously infected, not to mention causing her great pain. Such an infection could travel up into her skull and potentially cause brain damage and even blindness! Madhubala’s condition also requires immediate attention.

FOUR PAWS can help! The High Court of Sindh in Pakistan has appointed Dr Amir Khalil and the FOUR PAWS team to treat Noor Jehan and Madhubala. We have already started with preparations. Please support our mission to help these poor animals.

2021

Assessment of four elephants in Karachi, Pakistan

November 30th

Elephant assessment in Karachi, Pakistan
Following an invitation by the Sindh High Court, the FOUR PAWS team travelled to Karachi, Pakistan to carry out a two-day independent assessment of the wellbeing of the four African elephants in Karachi Zoo and Karachi Safari Park. Among the recommendations given, the team, led by Dr Amir Khalil found elephants Noor Jehan, Madhubala in need of dental surgery due to infections caused by broken-off tusks. This unique surgery  required the development of special tools and equipment. Read more about the assessment and the outlook for the future of these elephants here.