A team of veterinarians and wildlife experts from global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS has reached Pakistan to visit Karachi’s Safari Park on Tuesday. The delegation is on a visit to review the accommodation arrangements for elephant Madhubala. The visit is part of a larger plan to expand the Safari Park’s elephant enclosure by an additional three and a half acres. The Safari Park officials have already designated an area measuring one and a half acres for the elephants Sonia and Malika, while they are currently considering keeping Madhubala separately.

The international wildlife experts will evaluate the suitability of this arrangement, and will provide recommendations if neededIn addition to evaluating the accommodation arrangements, the FOUR PAWS team will also check the physical fitness of the two captive African elephants, Sonia and Malika, to ensure that they are healthy and able to adjust to their new living conditions. The expansion of the Safari Park’s elephant enclosure is aimed to improve the conditions of captive elephants in Pakistan.

Species-appropriate living conditions for elephants include big open spaces with natural surroundings and a soft ground where the animals can move around. The recommendations provided by the FOUR PAWS team during their visit will be given careful consideration and implemented as needed, as affirmed by the officials. This includes the construction of a house for Madhubala, if deemed necessary by the delegation. The presence of the FOUR PAWS team is a significant stride in the park’s effort to enhance the living conditions of Madhu Bala, Sonia, and Malika.

The team had earlier recommended the relocation of Madhubala and her companion Noor Jehan, who died on April 21, to a species-appropriate place that fulfils international standards. “Noor Jehan’s tragic story is a reminder of the suffering that captive wild animals endure in Pakistan and around the world,” the organization wrote on Twitter after the ailing elephant died.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan: INP