KARACHI: Sri Lankan wildlife health specialist and veterinarian Dr Buddhika Bandara joined Four Paws’ expert Dr Amir Khalil and the Safari Park vet team on Friday to carry out a joint medical examination of the ailing elephant Madhubala.

The foreign experts have been invited by local authorities after Safari Park vets failed to diagnose the factors behind Madhubala’s ongoing health crisis.

The female African elephant has experienced drastic weight loss in recent months and collapsed twice in her enclosure.

“Multiple bacterial and parasitic infections and the weakness that followed treatment for tuberculosis have caused Madhubala to lose significant weight. Additionally, she seems to suffer from a linear fracture in the carpal joint,” explained Dr Amir Khalil of Four Paws to journalists at a press talk organised at the Safari Park.

He emphasised the need for better care and management. “Foreign and local vets are working together to save Madhubala as we have been in contact with each other for the past several weeks. Still, there is a need for more efforts,” he said, adding that though she had shown recovery signs, it’s hard to say anything with certainty about her future.

Sources said the foreign experts would also examine Malika, Madhubala’s only companion. They are the country’s last two captive elephants.

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

Noor Jehan’s autopsy report released by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation 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 after 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.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2026