Vets reschedule Karachi Zoo elephant’s surgery

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One of the elephants with an infected tusk is standing in the cage in the zoo as foreign veterinary experts discuss its health problem on Tuesday. —Fahim Siddiqi / White Star
One of the elephants with an infected tusk is standing in the cage in the zoo as foreign veterinary experts discuss its health problem on Tuesday. —Fahim Siddiqi / White Star

KARACHI: International experts currently visiting Karachi Zoo had to postpone the two-tusk operation of an elephant scheduled for Tuesday as two surgeons could not arrive in the city due to bad weather conditions.

“The team couldn’t arrive today as planned yesterday due to bad weather conditions in Turkey. They will now come on Wednesday [today] early morning,” Dr Aamir Khalil of Four Paws, a global animal welfare group, told Dawn.

He added that preparations had been made for the operation.

The surgery, experts say, is unique as it would be carried out under a ‘standing sedation’.

It might be recalled that Madhubala and Noor Jehan, the two female elephants housed in Karachi Zoo, have been suffering from damaged and infected tusks for several years, keeping them in constant pain.

The problem was first identified by Four Paws’ team, which was invited for examination of elephants last year following court’s intervention in the case.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2022

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