Madhubala the elephant recovers as Karachi activists press for better care
A 22-year-old African elephant in Karachi is recovering after losing more than 200kg, three years after her sister Noor Jehan died at the city's zoo.
At a glance
- Madhubala, 22, is recovering after losing more than 200kg and becoming too weak to stand, her vet says.
- She was one of four Tanzanian elephants brought to Karachi in 2009; her sister Sonia died in December 2024.
- Activists say Karachi Zoo and Safari Park lack the resources to care for captive elephants.
Madhubala, a 22-year-old African elephant in Karachi, is recovering after losing more than 200kg (440 pounds) and becoming too weak to get up safely after lying down, according to the veterinary team treating her.
She is one of four elephants captured as calves in Tanzania in 2009 and brought to Pakistan, allegedly through an animal trader. Madhubala and Noor Jehan were kept at Karachi Zoo; their sisters Sonia and Malika went to Safari Park, also in Pakistan's largest city.
From Noor Jehan to Madhubala
Noor Jehan died at Karachi Zoo on April 22, 2023, aged 17, after suffering an infected tusk, malnutrition and stress. Animal caregiver Jude Allen, 45, who nursed her through her final 10 days, said her death changed him. "The day this wild African elephant rested her painful forehead on mine, and I hugged her for the first time – it all made sense," he told Al Jazeera.
Her death launched the "I Am Noor Jehan" movement for captive animals, which Allen leads and the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society supports.
Madhubala, named after a mid-20th-century Indian film actress, was left alone at the municipal zoo, where Allen recalls her banging her head against the gate of her enclosure. Four Paws, the organisation that moved the elephant Kaavan from Islamabad to a Cambodian sanctuary in 2020, assessed the animals and recommended reuniting the sisters.
The reunion happened at Safari Park in November 2024. Four Paws documented Sonia approaching Madhubala first, with Malika following, and the three touching one another with their trunks and drinking together. Sonia collapsed and died on December 8, aged about 19. The park's director initially described apparent heart failure, but Four Paws reported a severe bacterial infection linked to an advanced foot abscess and tied her death to prolonged unsuitable conditions and malnutrition.
Madhubala and Malika were both diagnosed with tuberculosis; recent examinations indicate Madhubala no longer tests positive.
Recovery and accountability
Amir Khalil, a Four Paws wildlife vet, told Al Jazeera that Madhubala has recovered 85 percent of her ability to walk and follows his treatment programme, which includes high-pressure water massage for her leg. He said her wounds were improving when he left Pakistan.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told Al Jazeera that the KMC has not procured animals in 20 years and the elephants arrived long before his time. He said animal welfare should be paramount and that his team had worked with Khalil. Allen says Safari Park has disappointed him, with visitors feeding the elephants and treating the facility "like a zoo". "What was meant to be a sanctuary became a zoo," he said.
Javed Maher, the top wildlife official in Sindh province, said the government offered hundreds of acres in rural areas for the elephants and that most Pakistani zoos, including Karachi Zoo, are "not capable". The elephants have stayed at Safari Park, where the enclosure covers about 14 hectares (35 acres), according to Four Paws.
Former Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah, whose 2020 ruling declared that animals have rights, said Madhubala has the right to live where her social, behavioural and psychological needs can be met. Allen last saw her on October 8.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Is Madhubala the elephant recovering?
- Yes. Four Paws vet Amir Khalil told Al Jazeera that Madhubala has recovered 85 percent of her ability to walk and that her wounds were improving when he left Pakistan.
- What happened to Madhubala's sister elephants?
- Noor Jehan died at Karachi Zoo on April 22, 2023, aged 17. Sonia collapsed and died at Safari Park on December 8, aged about 19, after Four Paws reported a severe bacterial infection.
- Where is Madhubala now?
- She is at Safari Park in Karachi, in an elephant enclosure of about 14 hectares (35 acres) that Four Paws helped prepare, according to the organisation.
