Madhubala Haunted by Noor Jehan’s Death While Awaiting FOUR PAWS in Karachi Zoo

Remember Madhubala? She is the poor elephant languishing away at Karachi Zoo after the death of her companion, Noor Jehan, earlier this year. FOUR PAWS International’s team, headed by world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Amir Khalil, was back in Pakistan again last month to begin her training to have her rehabilitated at Safari Park where she will be able to spend the rest of her life with her sisters, Sonia and Malika, from whom she was separated 14 years ago.

The team has taken the crate in which Madhubala will be transported to Karachi Zoo. It has declared that she is “physically healthy and fit to travel,” and it is ready to start training her for her relocation.

Despite this happy news, FOUR PAWS’s latest press release contains a very sad update on Madhubala, which begs the question of why Karachi Zoo has been neglecting her after Noor Jehan’s death and why it is incapable of caring for elephants.

Here are its highlights:

1.       Madhubala is Still Mourning Noor Jehan’s Death

The team was very shocked to see Madhubala last month and noted that she is now “just a shadow of the majestic animal she once was.”

“As soon as she recognized us, she immediately came towards us, in her trunk her best friend – an old tire. It’s the only thing she can occupy herself with in the enclosure. Madhubala seems incredibly bored, apathetic, and sad,” FOUR PAWS revealed.

It added that Madhubala’s solitary keeping after Noor Jehan’sdeath affects her a lot and she repeatedly visits the spot under a tree where her friend died.

2.       Preparations for Madhubala’s Relocation are Underway

FOUR PAWS is working with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), with the support of the Task Force for Wildlife in Captivity/Zoos/Safari Parks, on negotiating and finalizing the agreement that it needs for her urgent relocation.

It assures that her enclosure at Safari Park will be thrice as big as her current one at Karachi Zoo.

3.       Enclosure Improvements and Transportation Training

FOUR PAWS says that it will begin implementing critical improvements to the elephant enclosure in Safari Park to convert it into a species-appropriate habitat for the three elephants as soon as the agreement is signed.

These improvements include the expansion of its grounds, the inclusion of waterbodies, enrichment features, and safety measures such as new fences.

FOUR PAWS also wants to train the on-ground and management staff at Safari Park to facilitate the creation of a proper space in which Madhubala, Malika, and Sonia can grow and prosper together.

It believes that Madhubala’s relocation and the reunion with her family will send a powerful signal for “enhanced animal welfare in Pakistan.”

I’m sorry FOUR PAWS, but that is a reach. The majority of Pakistanis and even the authorities don’t care about animal welfare here. Politicians will tweet about viral animal welfare cases and will visit zoos for photo ops, but that’s about it. They and their media and PR teams also deliberately ignore questions about their real work on this front, and they are more concerned with furthering their political agendas with token reforms for clout. It is often quite easy to see right through their empty words and promises.

If there is anyone who is really enhancing elephant welfare in the country every other year or so, and more frequently now, it is only the team from FOUR PAWS. I still wonder whether our veterinary colleges are preparing their students to treat large wild animals in light of the situation at hand. I tried to talk to the deans and academic heads of certain leading veterinary colleges about it but they all seemed to be clueless about their curricula, were unbothered, and one was reluctant to be named in the media (by yours truly) because of her ignorance and apathy.

I also learned firsthand from reliable sources that when Kaavanwas trapped in Islamabad Zoo, he was force-fed alcohol by his mahout, and that the Rawalpindi Wildlife Department will not ban the kidnapping of baby monkeys by gypsies to be used for begging because:

Besides, whenever the department officials rescue animals like dancing bears from local captors, the latter are fined an inconsequential amount of Rs. 10,000, and the bears are legally handed over to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) for treatment and rehabilitation.

Clearly, this isn’t enough to strike fear into the hearts of Pakistanis, and a whole lot more needs to be done in terms of ethics, civics, legislation, and education before we can boast that Pakistan is a champion of animal welfare.