The elephant is standing and walking after weeks of treatment, Dr Amir Khalil said, while a serious hind-leg problem, weight loss and infections still require intensive care.
Dr Amir Khalil of Four Paws said Madhubala had improved after suffering multiple infections about three weeks ago. The expert made a detailed medical assessment after arriving in Karachi on Thursday. He told Dawn the elephant could stand and walk again following work by veterinarians and staff on the ground.
Despite the improvement in mobility, Khalil described the hind-leg problem and significant weight loss as critical concerns. He said recovery would require an improved diet, necessary medicines and a treatment crush that would let veterinarians carry out procedures with less stress for the animal. Initial blood tests showed several bacterial infections, while a stool sample indicated a parasitic infection.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) called in Khalil and Sri Lankan wildlife-health specialist Dr Buddhika Bandara after local veterinarians were unable to establish the cause of Madhubala’s continued decline. Sources cited by Dawn expected Bandara to arrive on Friday. The newspaper reported that Madhubala had fallen twice in her enclosure in recent weeks. The specialists were also due to examine Malika.
Madhubala was moved from Karachi Zoo to Safari Park in November 2024 and reunited with her sisters Sonia and Malika after Noor Jehan died in 2023. Sonia died about a month after the move. KMC later set up an 18-member committee to oversee the two remaining elephants, both of which were diagnosed with tuberculosis. The four female elephants were brought from Tanzania to Karachi in 2010.