KARACHI: Dr Amir Khalil and his team, representing Four Paws — an international organisation working for animal welfare — are back in the city, rekindling hopes for zoo elephant Madhubala’s reunion with her sisters at Safari Park after 15 years.

The team held meetings with Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) officials on Thursday and visited Safari Park, where construction of the elephant sanctuary has entered its final stages.

“90 perc ent of the sanctuary’s construction is complete, and we expect that Madhubala will be reunited with her sisters Malika and Sonia in the last week of November,” said Dr. Khalil, who leads the team. He also appreciated the support extended by the KMC and the mayor in reaching this critical stage.

The remaining work, he pointed out, includes landscaping the elephant enclosure, building a feed storage area and rooms for staff, finalising enrichment features, and resuming the necessary training for the three elephants.

“It’s a huge task shifting a four-tonne elephant in a five-tonne crate, not just for the staff engaged in the relocation but also for the giant animal. Hence, Madhubala’s crate training will resume next week with the arrival of elephant trainer Mathias Otto,” explained the Egyptian veterinarian.

According to officials, Madhubala — who was left alone at the Karachi Zoo after her partner and sister Noor Jehan met a tragic death over a year ago – will be the last zoo elephant in Pakistan.

Under the KMC-Four Paws agreement signed in February this year, the area of the elephant sanctuary at Safari Park has been expanded from over 2 acres to 5.5 acres and divided into three sections. The staff is also being trained for the relocation process.

Experts say that while the three elephants are physically fit for reunion, they will undergo medical tests before the move to ensure they are free of infections.

Initially, Madhubala will be kept in one section, and Malika and Sonia in another, so staff can observe how the animals react upon seeing each other.

“We are excited and curious about how the elephants will react when they see each other after 15 years. It will be a unique moment indeed. Few animals across the world get the opportunity to reunite with their families,” shared Dr Marina Ivanova, another Four Paws team member.

Elephants, Dr. Khalil pointed out, have very strong memories and don’t forget easily. “Hence, their reunion will be a great and memorable moment.”

Over three years ago, Dr Khalil and his team saved elephant Kaavan from years of loneliness at Islamabad Zoo and relocated him to a sanctuary in Cambodia.

“After Kaavan, Pakistan has another opportunity to set an example for developed countries like the US and Canada, where elephants are still being kept in zoos,” Dr Khalil said.

He also recalled the recent successful relocation of zoo elephant Charley in South Africa. The ageing elephant had shown signs of deep unhappiness after the death of his partner in 2020. Dr. Khalil and his team relocated him from the Pretoria Zoo to a game reserve in the same country.

It should be noted that the four elephants — later named Noor Jehan, Madhubala, Sonia, and Malika, and now aged between 16 and 18 years — were brought to Karachi in 2009. Noor Jehan and Madhubala were kept at the zoo, while the other two were housed at Safari Park.

Their well-being has long been a subject of serious concern, and activists have been calling on the government to take measures for their welfare.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2024