Tag: Elephant

  • Neglected Thai elephant Muthu Raja returns home after two decades

    Neglected Thai elephant Muthu Raja returns home after two decades

    Thai elephant Muthu Raja has reached back home on Sunday after two decades as the animal was claimed back by its birth country over reports of mistreatment.

    The 29-year-old Muthu Raja had been sent to Sri Lanka back in 2001 as a gift by Thai authorities, but the animal was demanded back by his home country after there were reports of Muthu being allegedly tortured and ill-treated in a Buddhist temple.

    Muthu was later temporarily moved to a zoo in Colombo after public uproar against the neglect and torture. Animal welfare groups pointed out that the animal presented as gift to the country had been forced to work with a logging crew. The elephant had also sustained wounds, some allegedly inflicted by its handler.

    According to the zoo’s chief veterinarian, Muthu Raja was in pain and covered in abscesses when it was rescued from the temple last year.
    Cruelty against the largest existing land animal was unacceptable by the authorities as elephants are also considered sacred creatures in Sri Lanka and are protected by law.

    The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka said he had personally conveyed the country’s regrets to the Thai king over the elephant’s condition.
    One of the organizations that protested for the elephant’s safety, RARE (Rally for Animal Rights and Environment), expressed sorrow over the news of Muthu’s departure and further urged the authorities to take action against those responsible.

    Muthu finally reached home on a commercial reparation flight that Thai officials said cost $700,000.

    The elephant received a warm welcome at the airport by the Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa. “He travelled five hours and nothing is wrong, his condition is normal,” the minister said.
    Thai authorities have planned to quarantine the elephant at a nearby nature reserve.

  • ‘Don’t give Pakistan any animals’: Nadia Jamil slams Sri Lanka’s offer to send elephants

    ‘Don’t give Pakistan any animals’: Nadia Jamil slams Sri Lanka’s offer to send elephants

    After the tragic death of Karachi Zoo’s ailing elephant Noor Jehan after years of neglect and abuse, Sri Lankan authorities announced that they were donating two elephants to Pakistan. According to Geo News, Sri Lankan Honorary Counsel Yasin Joya announced that one will be given to Karachi Zoo and the other one to Lahore Zoo.

    Celebrities like veteran actress Nadia Jamil spoke out against this decision, slamming the Pakistani government for providing poor facilities for the animals that had led to Noor Jehan’s death.

    “I beg Sri Lanka, DO NOT GIVE PAKISTAN ANY ELEPHANTS. NOT until Pakistan develops a policy to protect animals in its zoos and learns to take care of animals as they should be taken care of. Please. No more tragic deaths. Please spare more animals from suffering like Noorjehan.”

    Other celebrities like Anushay Ashraf and Ahmed Ali Butt mourned the loss of Noor Jehan, and slammed the Karachi authorities for their limited resources which had led to the neglected conditions of animals at Karachi Zoo. In a now-expired post on her Instagram stories, Ashraf pointed out how zoos are not safe places for animals, and should not be entertainment facilities for humans:

    “Another reminder for the govt that zoos are a place where animals are kept in captivity for our entertainment. This narrative cannot work in 2023. Am sure they tried their best with Nuri, but the concept is faulty to begin with. No one trusts the animals are getting the best possible care anyway. And chargingn money to see animals behind cages is a narrative the world has grown out of.”

    Singer and actor Ahmed Ali Butt slammed the decision to import elephants from Sri Lanka, because as he wrote:

    “We don’t deserve a zoo, just like everything else in this country, animals and their care is the least of our worries. This is just a feather in our incompetetnt cap.”

  • ‘Saddening’: Zulfiqar Bhutto tells international wildlife activists to stop the hate on Noor Jehan issue

    Ever since the poor condition of animals at Karachi Zoo, particularly the ailing elephant Noor Jehan, has gone viral on social media, local and international wildlife activists have slammed authorities for neglecting their charges.

    Several international activists have criticized Pakistani authorities for failing to care for Noor Jehan, sharing clips of the elephant lying on the ground. However, some tweets by international activists have ventured into the realm of racism.

    Wildlife activist and artist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed international criticism in an Instagram post, reminding critics that despite government negligence, corruption and limited facilities, it was Pakistanis who stepped up to provide resources and raised calls to shut down the zoo and provide treatment for Noor Jehan.

    “In a country as poor as ours – many have poured their hearts and soul into caring for Noor Jehan. Doctors from Agha Khan are attending to her wounds as we speak. Their first non-human patient. Yes she was cruelly neglected like many of the animals in the zoo are now. But it was Pakistanis who highlighted their suffering. Form Paw Pakistan to local activists. It was Pakistanis who advocated for the animals in the zoo.

    Don’t blame the mahoots who are also victims of a cruel hierarchy. Don’t blame the volunteers staying up day in and day out – sacrificing the time they could be spending with their own families.”

  • ‘How could anyone be in favor of ending such a life’: Yashma Gill against euthanizing Noor Jehan

    Actor Yashma Gill shared a video clip of her visiting Karachi Zoo to see the facility’s ailing elephant Noor Jehan, whose condition is growing worse day by day.

    Karachi Zoo has been slammed by animal right activists for neglecting the animals under its care. Noor Jehan’s prolonged illness and mishandling of her ailment led to national outrage on social media.

    Gill discussed her experience of watching the elephant fight for her life:

    “As I stood before Noor Jehan, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of admiration for her unrelenting spirit. Despite her illness, she remains hopeful and determined, a true symbol of resilience. Her eyes hold a gentle yet unwavering gaze, a testament to her will to live. Her sheer strength and perseverance were truly inspiring, leaving me with a renewed sense of hope and optimism.”

    Gill rejected eeports that the elephant will be euthanized as her illness shows no improvement, asking authorities to keep fighting hard for Noor Jehan and give her the best possible chance at life:

    “For me, the answer is clear – we must do everything in our power to give her a chance to heal and recover. No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, we owe it to Noor Jehan to give her the best possible chance at life. After all, where there’s a will, there’s always a way.”

    Read her complete post here:

    Anoushay Ashraf had also joined the growing cry to shut down Karachi Zoo when she shared a clip of herself visiting elephant Noor Jehan and talking to the wildlife expert Maira over there.

    Celebrities like Hamza Ali Abbasi, Arooj Aftab and Ayesha Noor had joined the rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan, by sharing how the animals suffering in cages are deprived of the natural habitat and are not given the proper facilities they need to survive:

    Arooj Aftab had re shared a clip of her interview with The Current, and in the caption she said that authorities could build much better entertainment facilities for children:

    The ‘Maula Jatt’ actor had shared pictures of the lions in Karachi Zoo, who were suffering from starvation and neglect, and demanded that authorities shut down the zoo and transport the animals to proper shelters.

  • ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    ‘Janwaron say bad dua lenay say behtar hai’: Hamza Ali Abbasi joins rallying cry to shut down zoos across Pakistan

    Actor Hamza Ali Abbas has joined the chorus of voices calling for zoos across Pakistan to be shut down. As the country watches veterinarians try to save the life of one of Karachi Zoo’s elephants, Noor Jehan, celebrities have lent support to the demand that the animals be shifted to sanctuaries.

    Taking to Instagram, the ‘Maula Jatt’ actor shared a clip of a post by Express Tribune, slamming authorities for not caring about the welfare of the animals:

    “We can’t take care of animals in zoo’s- it is better than to receive curses from animals that we should ban zoos and send the animals to a safer place.”

    Abbasi’s criticism comes after countless celebrities, including Grammy award winner Arooj Aftab, raised their voices to support animals and shut down zoos. Aftab re-shared a clip from her interview with The Current where she had talked about the abysmal conditions of animals in Lahore’s zoo, calling for better facilities to be set up for animals.

    Just as Noor Jehan improved, she fell into a concrete pond built inside her shelter, leading to worsening of her condition. Authorities had remained in contact with the animal welfare organization Four Paws to coordinate for her treatment.

    Yesterday, The Nation reported that Minister of Climate Change and member of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sherry Rehman, had advised Sindh government to shut down Karachi Zoo, and for the animals to be moved to enclosures where they are provided with proper facilities.

  • It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    It’s time to close the zoos in Pakistan

    Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo, is critically ill after the 17-year-old fell in a pond in a small enclosure. She has since been lying visibly weak with limited motion on a mound of sand, propped up against the only tree inside the enclosure. Noor Jehan’s condition is a reminder that we have imprisoned animals in cages for the entertainment of the people. We humans are the reason that the animals suffer and bear so much torture and pain.

    Wild animals are unlikely to survive or live happily in an artificial environment like the ones we provide them at the zoos. Moving them from their natural habitat and from their community puts them under great stress. It is no secret that animals in Pakistani zoos are kept in poor conditions.

    The wildlife parks and zoos of Pakistan are characterised by a weak governance system. The animals lying in the zoos and wildlife parks of Pakistan are ignored with regard to their physical and mental well-being. They are not properly provided with adequate nutritional food and are seldom treated effectively for their physical ailments. There are about 10 public zoos, 25 private zoos and 28 wildlife parks in Pakistan. Neither of these are authorised by any recognised association of zoos and aquariums. The animals kept in these zoos are often neglected. Not only is their food and nutrition ignored but several other environmental issues thwart their well-being. Several zoos lack veterinary professionals, owing to which the animals do not get ample medical help whenever required. Some animals die due to lack of adequate required treatment adding to the plight of the zoos of Pakistan.

    This brutality towards animals has been there because of continuous negligence being directed towards them. This isn’t the first time we are witnessing the suffering of animals at zoos and this definitely doesn’t seem to be the last time either. In 2020, American singer Cher arrived in Pakistan to send off Kaavan, an elephant in Islamabad Zoo she had spent years trying to free, before his move to a Cambodian sanctuary. Animal rights advocates had campaigned for the 36-year-old Asian elephant to be rescued from grim conditions.

    Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, has said that there is a no-zoo Islamabad model of rescue and rehab centre and transition sanctuary, in the federal capital. The Islamabad zoo where the bears and the elephant were kept have now been closed. Pakistan should stand firmly against any kind of animal cruelty and take timely action to stop it.

    We all need to stand up for the animals and treat them right. It took one Noor Jehan to make us realise that zoo animals suffer from continued neglect and will continue to die and go through pain if our policies don’t change. So if, we cannot take care of our animals, we should close the zoos and free the animals. We Pakistanis don’t deserve them.

  • Bakhtawar Bhutto, Ayesha Omar, celebrities, slam Karachi Zoo after Noor Jehan suffers fall

    Bakhtawar Bhutto, Ayesha Omar, celebrities, slam Karachi Zoo after Noor Jehan suffers fall

    Trigger warning: distressing video

    Karachi Zoo’s ailing elephant Noor Jehan suffered another setback on Thursday after she fell into a concrete pond inside her pen. According to Karachi Times, the elephant had to be pulled out with the help of cranes and was not moving much after that.

    Speaking to Geo News, Safari Park Director Kanwar Ayub said that the unfortunate accident happened on Thursday night, leading to worsening of Noor Jehan’s pain. He further added that her treatment was still being supervised by foreign doctors.

    Activists and celebrities slammed the Zoo’s management authorities for mishandling animals and the overall poor state of the facility.

    Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari shared a video of Noor Jehan in distress on Twitter, demanding that the zoo should be shut down because of it’s inability to provide proper facilities to animals.

    “#KarachiZoo should be shut down because it is clearly beyond the capacity of KMC.”

    Actress Ayesha Omar too posted a video clip of Noor Jehan on her Instagram page, asking her followers about how could they help in ensuring the elephant receives proper treatment.

    Actor Yashma Gill shared a video clip on her Instagram stories of Noor Jehan, and wrote that for the sake of Ramzan, the zoo needs to shut down.

    “Please for the sake of this holy month join hands in this cause and help in BOYCOTTING this zoo culture!”

    Nadia Jamil prayed that the elephant’s critical condition is ressolved as she shared a clip of Noor Jehan after her surgery

    Veteran actress Simi Rahael shared a tweet that slammed Karachi Zoo’s administration for the poor condition of Noor Jehan, and in the caption she shared the hashtag #banzoo and #stopanimalcruelty

    International animal relief organization Four Paws also posted updates from their Twitter account, stating that they had coordinated all night with the local team to try and save the elephant’s life.

    Earlier, Four Paws had flown its veterinarians to Karachi to operate on Noor Jehan after her condition had gotten worse. In a press release, they had written that in 2021, the organisation had strongly recommended that both elephants should be shifted from Karachi Zoo as the facilities there do not comply with international standards. However, no such measures were taken by the authorities.

    On April 5, Dr Amir Khalil, the head of Four Paws, revealed that the surgery on Noor Jehan had been successful, hoping that authorities would comply with the organization by relocating both elephants, Noor Jehan and Madhubala, to a proper facility equipped to handle the animals.

    On April 7, Times of Karachi announced that the Director of Karachi Zoo, Khalid Hashmi, had been suspended due to negligence and mismanagement which had led to Noor Jehan’s illness.

  • VIDEO: Irked elephant destroys wedding, forces groom to run away

    VIDEO: Irked elephant destroys wedding, forces groom to run away

    An elephant has damaged the venue and four cars at a wedding ceremony after getting irked by the sound of crackers in India’s Uttar Pradesh.

    As per reports, the incident happened on Friday night when the groom named Anand Tripathi reached the wedding venue with an elephant.

    A video from the wedding recently went viral on social media that shows the groom arriving at his wedding venue, sitting in a carriage decorated with neon lights. The barat also included an elephant and some horses. The elephant then started destroying the venue and everything that came in its way because it was irked by the sound of the crackers.

    Read More: Bride refuses to marry as groom chewed ‘gutka’

    The groom fled away from the scene after the destruction made by the elephant.

    Later, a team comprising officials from the forest department and police was called for help who then managed to control the elephant.

  • Karachi Zoo management denies foreign animal experts access to ‘ailing’ elephants

    Karachi Zoo management denies foreign animal experts access to ‘ailing’ elephants

    The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has allegedly denied international veterinarians and animal experts access to Karachi Zoo and Safari Park elephants Malika, Sonu, Noor Jahan and Madhubala, preventing them from receiving medical treatment.

    In a detailed post on social media, the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which identifies itself as a body “promoting compassion towards all sentient beings,” detailed the ordeal faced by the elephants and alleged that the KMC has barred international animal experts from assessing the health of the elephants and treating them accordingly.

    The animal welfare society also said that Malika’s health is in “dire straits” and requires “urgent veterinary care”.

    “Her cracked tusks, broken nails, swollen legs and urine burnt feet are a testimony to the abuse she [has] suffered,” said PAWS, adding that one of Malaika’s legs is four times the size of her other legs and she appears to be unable to properly bear weight on any of her legs.

    “When she walks, she hobbles along very slowly. The pads of her feet are cracked and have deep pits, which the Safari park management and elephant keeper claim to be ‘winter dryness’.”

    PAWS said that UK-based animal rights organisation Free The Wild (FTW) offered to help the elephants and send experts to Karachi to assess the animals’ health and devise a strategy with the authorities on how to treat them. They have also been running an online donation campaign for them so that the government does not have to bear the expenses. The campaign aims to raise $30,000 and $17,637.55 were raised till the last update i.e. March 10.

    According to PAWS, KMC management gave its verbal permission to Free the Wild and Dr Frank Goëritz and Dr Thomas Hildebrandt, two renowned elephant specialists to come and assess the animals’ health. They were scheduled to arrive in Karachi on February 23. However, the city government changed its decision last minute, denying them access.

    PAWS said that they had several rounds of meetings with KMC officials hoping to work out a solution to ease the elephants’ plight but the city government “raised objections against fundraising” claiming “that it brings a bad name to Pakistan”. PAWS also told The Current that neither the Sindh Government nor government officials have made any efforts to help the elephants and keep shutting out the animal rights body saying that “the elephants are the ‘property’ of KMC”.

    PAWS urged the federal and provincial governments as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan to help the elephants and ease their plight.

    In a statement issued by FTW, all four elephants – reportedly smuggled from Tanzania in 2009 – are held captive in small cement enclosures and chained at the feet for 15 hours a day. The wild animals are suffering from broken nails and lacerated feet due to cemented floors, ​cracked tusks and swollen legs from standing all day and not having any movement. ​

    “All four elephants are showing visible signs of psychological and physical pain and urgently need our help,” reads the statement.

    FTW further said that just as their vets were “preparing to leave Germany – with visas arranged, international flights booked, local accommodation reserved and, very importantly, medication purchased – KMC suddenly withheld their permission for the Free The Wild vets to enter the zoo and safari park.”

    Co-founder of FTW Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, while expressing her disappointment, said: “Words just cannot express how disappointed we are by the sudden lack of support. The trip was planned and even medications purchased. This is not only a major setback for the health of the elephants but also has wasted very valuable funds as the medications will expire and cannot be returned. I fail to understand why anyone bites a helping hand. This was at no cost at all to the KMC and not only would have helped these animals but also provided training for locals moving forward. I hope the petition will overcome these odd bureaucratic obstacles.”

    The animal welfare body added that “we are not going to just walk away. We [will] petition Karachi courts and requesting an urgent ruling to ensure the wellbeing of these animals.”

    Advocate Owais Awan, who was part of Kaavan’s legal team and helped him gain freedom while speaking to The Current said that they have no choice but to file a petition before the Honourable Sindh High Court (SHC). He asserted that the animals are suffering and need immediate medical care, which can only be provided by experts.

    “I was shocked to see the state of the elephants,” said Advocate Awan. “Their enclosures and conditions were even worse than Kaavan’s. He at least had some space to walk. These elephants are kept chained all day in tiny enclosures.”

    Advocate Awan explained that all four elephants are African elephants and that Pakistani vets do not have the necessary expertise to deal with their problems, adding that the team of international experts coming were not only going to check the animals but were also going to train vets and caretakers to take better care of the elephants.

    KMC responds

    Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to The Current, KMC spokesperson Ali Hassan Sajid trashed PAWS claims and said that the animals were doing fine.

    “We have a team of vets looking after them and all the elephants are being cared for,” said Hassan. This scribe requested Hassan to share pictures of the elephants. However, they were not received till the filing of this report.

    When asked about using vaseline to treat cracks in the skin – a matter which stirred outrage online – Hassan said that vaseline is applied to the animals’ toes and skin because it tends to crack up in the winters just like human skin. He said that the ointment was used to heal the dryness and proved to be very effective.

    The spokesperson also launched a tirade against the animal rights body, saying that they are using the elephants to raise donations and collect money.

    “Chanda akhata kar rahe hain yeh log sirf,” said Hassan, alleging that the body has raised $30,000 by deceiving people.

    Sajid further said that PAWS was bringing a bad name to Pakistan with its fundraising campaign and giving out a message to the world that Pakistan cannot care for its animals.

    The official also said that KMC’s legal department is working towards launching an official complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against PAWS for bringing a bad name to Pakistan.

    Read more – Mehwish Hayat calls for zoos to be shut down

    Earlier, in December 2020, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered KMC and Karachi Zoo administration to shift the 20-year-old Syrian brown bear Rano from her 25-foot wide Victorian ‘grotto’ pit to another open cage, 500 times bigger than her current enclosure. During the hearings, the court had also instructed KMC to present the zoo’s budget and had expressed anger over the fact that there was only one doctor for all animals at the zoo.

    Zoos in Pakistan have long drawn international condemnation for their mistreatment of animals. Last year, on December 16, Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo was shut down after the Islamabad High Court ordered for Kaavan, the elephant and two brown bears Babloo and Suzie to be relocated to sanctuaries abroad.

  • You will never guess Kaavan’s favourite song

    You will never guess Kaavan’s favourite song

    Who knew Kaavan would be a music fan? That too of Frank Sinatra.

    Latest reports coming out of Islamabad Zoo have revealed that Kaavan is not only a fan of Sinatra, but his music calms him down.

    Vet Amir Khalil, who has been tasked with assessing whether Kaavan can be moved from poor conditions in a zoo in Pakistan’s capital to a sanctuary in Cambodia, has shared that when he arrived in Pakistan, he started to train the elephant by singing to him.

    “When we arrived 10 days ago … I started to train him and to sing to him and he accommodated me so we have a relationship,” he said, adding he chose Sinatra’s hit My Way. Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor, who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

    36-year-old Kaavan is being relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia for retirement after the Islamabad High Court ruled that the Margazhar Zoo in Islamabad is not fit for the animals. Kaavan has spent most of his life in a small enclosure with meager shelter, and the last eight years alone after his companion elephant died. The court decision came after a four-year global campaign, backed by American singer Cher.

    Read more – Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Earlier, Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam had said authorities would “ensure that he lives a happy life”.

    “We are bidding Kaavan farewell with a heavy heart. It is a sad decision,” he had said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan was also concerned about Kaavan’s well-being.

    Plans to relocate the animal are underway though it is no easy feat.

    Four Paws experts, who will be assisting in the relocation, fired darts with a sedative so they could give the sleepy animal a comprehensive checkup.

    As Kaavan woke up to eat some apples, Four Paws elephant specialist Frank Goeritz analysed his blood samples. Though it will be a few days before he files a formal report, Goeritz said despite Kaavan being obese, unhappy and having malformed nails that put him at risk of serious infection, the outlook was hopeful.

    “Let’s wait until we have all the results, but so far I don’t see a big problem with him traveling … he is facing a good life.”