FOUR PAWS experts assess wellbeing of four African elephants in Pakistan

FOUR PAWS experts assess wellbeing of four African elephants in Pakistan

Vets and wildlife experts will provide High Court with recommendation on future care

29.11.2021

28 November 2021 – One year after the spectacular rescue of elephant Kaavan, who was transferred from Islamabad to Cambodia and now lives a species-appropriate life in an elephant sanctuary, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS returns to Pakistan. The Sindh High Court in Karachi in southwestern Pakistan requested the animal welfare experts to assess the wellbeing and health condition of four elephants in Karachi Zoo and Karachi Safari Park. The country recently banned the import of new elephants following the advice of FOUR PAWS.

Dr Amir Khalil leads a team of veterinarians and wildlife experts, including Dr Frank Göritz and Prof Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibnitz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and Dr Marina Ivanova from FOUR PAWS. The team works closely with the responsible national authorities to support their decision-making regarding the future care of the elephants, who are between 16 and 17 years old.

“We are grateful for the trust of the Sindh High Court in our expertise and happy to support the authorities in making sure these elephants receive species-appropriate care. We will perform medical examinations on all four elephants, check their feet and assess their keeping conditions. We are also bringing medicine and equipment and are ready to treat the elephants in case any urgent medical action is needed. We hope to support the national authorities in finding a species-appropriate solution for these elephants,”

Dr Amir Khalil, FOUR PAWS veterinarian

FOUR PAWS is ready to also provide assistance and help to other animals at the zoos if needed and permitted by the local authorities.

Following the assessment, the FOUR PAWS experts will propose their recommendations to representatives of the High Court who will take the outcomes into further consideration – a process that can take up to multiple years until a decision is made.

Kaavan was the last Asian elephant in captivity in Pakistan. According to official information, these elephants are also the last four African elephants in Pakistan.

Elephant in Pakistan

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Katharina Braun

Katharina Braun

(she/her)
Team Lead Public Relations

katharina.braun@four-paws.org

+43 (0) 664 885 33 270

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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org

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