KARACHI: Madhubala a 16-year-old elephant suffering for years from a dental infection and pain caused by a broken tusk, finally got relief after undergoing treatment while under unique standing sedation.

Madhubala is one of four African elephants being treated in Karachi by an eight-member team from global animal welfare group Four Paws, which in 2020 relocated Kaavan an elephant dubbed world’s loneliest to Cambodia from Islamabad. Their visit follows an order by Sindh High Court in Karachi last year for Four Paws to assess health of animals after local animal rights activists had raised concerns in court about their well-being. Named after a legendary Indian actress, Madhubala’s eyes were taped shut, her legs tied to side-grills to support her during sedation and subsequent treatment at Karachi Zoo.

Veterinarians had to use drills and other heavy surgical tools to extract infected tusk which came out in bits and pieces. “Due to long-term inflammation tissue is so fragile and thin it’s not possible to take it out at once, it is breakable,” said,” Dr Marina Ivanova said, showing Reuters reporters extracted tusk. An endoscopy before procedure showed full tusk inside measured 31 centimetres, she said.

“Today we are happy to start first unique procedure at Zoo in standing position not in sleeping or complete anaesthesia as it could be risky for elephant and could be fatal, which we don’t want,” team leader Dr Aamir Khalil said.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 19 2022

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