KARACHI: Safari elephant Madhubala’s condition is still critical as she is rapidly losing weight and has collapsed again in recent days, forcing the authorities to seek help from foreign experts who are expected to arrive in Karachi on Thursday (tomorrow).

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the Safari vets had so far been unable to diagnose the factors behind Madhubala’s ongoing health crisis despite conducting several laboratory tests for over a month.

The poor animal, they said, had suffered multiple illnesses, including a foot infection and a recent severe swelling in her right hind thigh.

“She faced another medical emergency over a week ago when she collapsed again in her enclosure, requiring a crane and harness support to lift her up,” an official said, adding that Madhubala has lost her appetite and is rapidly losing weight.

Safari vets unable to diagnose elephant’s worsening condition as she loses weight and collapses repeatedly

The sources also said that Safari elephant Malika was not doing well either, though her condition is not as critical as her companion Madhubala’s.

Both elephants, the last two left in Pakistan, had received prolonged treatment for tuberculosis.

According to the sources, Dr Amir Khalil of international animal welfare organisation Four Paws and a Sri Lankan expert are reaching Karachi on Oct 8 to carry out a detailed medical assessment of both animals at the request of local authorities.

Meanwhile, neither Safari Park nor the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which runs facilities for captive animals in the city, was available for comments despite repeated attempts.

It might be recalled that Madhubala had been in solitary confinement at Karachi Zoo following the tragic death of her companion Noor Jehan, who died in 2023 after a tragic fall in her enclosure.

Noor Jehan’s autopsy report released by KMC showed that she died from a severe blood parasitic infection and internal trauma combined with a lack of proper medical care.

Left alone at the zoo, Madhubala was successfully relocated to Safari Park, where she was reunited with her sisters, Sonia and Malika, in November 2024, under the supervision of Four Paws, which had worked extensively with the KMC for elephant care.

The success story of her reunion faded soon as Sonia died a month later after collapsing in her Safari enclosure.

Lab reports later showed that she suffered from multiple chronic illnesses, affecting almost all vital organs, indicating prolonged neglect in her care and failure in timely diagnosis.

Successive deaths of captive elephants raised public outcry, forcing the KMC to set up an 18-member body last year to look after Madhubala and Malika, both of whom were diagnosed with tuberculosis.

The four female elephants were brought to Karachi from Tanzania in 2010 at a very young age under a controversial arrangement.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2026