Before leaving Pakistan on Friday, the team of veterinary experts from FOUR PAWS International confirmed that Noor Jehan, the partially paralyzed elephant at Karachi Zoo, is showing “slight improvement”. It has also given the concerned authorities a set of mandatory recommendations and guidelines that are crucial to her recovery.
Speaking exclusively to ProPakistani on Friday, the head of the team, Dr. Amir Khalil, said that the treatment has caused the swelling of Noor Jehan’s genitals to drop by 50 percent and that she can finally hold her head up. He stressed that she is still in critical condition and is an “intensive care patient” which is why her new medical treatment needs to continue along with her prescribed physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and diet plan.
As per a press release from FOUR PAWS International, Noor Jehan’s treatment plan includes:
“Noor Jehan will be able to recover in the coming weeks. It won’t be 100 percent, but maybe between 85-95 percent. Her health has gone from -50 to +50 percent (in terms of improvement) and she will be walking and live a long life of at least 20-30 years. We are very happy for this slight, positive development that will help her to be relocated,” Dr. Amir Khalil elaborated.
Dr. Amir Khalil stated that he and his team had worked hard during the week and he hopes that the local team at the zoo will take over and follow through with the mandated procedures for Noor Jehan’s recovery. He added that Noor Jehan’s treatment will take a few weeks and cannot be expected to produce results in a few days.
Pia Einheimler of FOUR PAWS International also told ProPakistani that it is “more important than ever that Noor Jehan regains strength to be able to be transported to a species-appropriate home. For now, her future and recovery depend on the zoo implementing our mandatory recommendations of treatment and enrichment. Otherwise, she will not have a chance to survive the next days or weeks.”
FOUR PAWS International is keen to move forward with rehabilitating and relocating Noor Jehan after she regains her strength. It also promises to do everything in its power to “find a species-appropriate long-term solution for Noor Jehan and her companion, Madhubala”.
When asked if it intends to shift them to the elephant sanctuary in Cambodia where Kaavan currently lives, Dr. Amir Khalil explained that the sanctuary in question is particularly for Asian elephants and is unsuitable for Noor Jehan and Madhubala who are African elephants.
“We are looking for an appropriate place in Pakistan which could be designed for these elephants, and maybe if Safari Park designs such a place and increases its area and land to make it suitable for them, it could also be a good opportunity,” he added.
Note that the Director of Karachi Zoo, Khalid Hashmi, was suspended from Safari Park and other additional recreational posts this week for depriving Noor Jehan of her needed medical treatment since the FOUR PAWS International team treated her last year. The Karachi Metropolitan has transferred his responsibilities to the provincial government’s Services department.