KARACHI: Critically ill zoo elephant Noor Jehan made a tiny improvement on Saturday when she began eating on her own, as experts worked late into the evening to help her stand on her own.
“Today, she showed signs that have given us hope.” “She used her trunk for the first time in three days and chose sugar cane, carrots, and melons over apples and spinach,” Dr. Shalla Hayat, a member of the Four Paws team aiding the zoo staff with Noor Jehan’s care, said.
The team, she explained, gave her intravenous drips of water and medications to help her energy levels, stay hydrated, and lessen pain.
“We also used a crane outfitted with a custom-made harness to change her position twice.” This was necessary to maintain the blood moving and prevent bedsores, according to Dr. Hayat.
The 17-year-old elephant has been lying on the ground in her enclosure for three days with no movement after falling into her pond and becoming stranded there for hours.
According to the Four Paws team, the elephant is now eating on her own and using her trunk.
Unfortunately, the incident occurred during Noor Jehan’s initial signs of recovery from serious health complications, which were recently detected by Four Paws an international animal welfare team which described her as an intensive care patient requiring quality attention and management.
The professionals are currently supervising the entire treatment procedure at the zoo by providing assistance to the local team on the ground at each and every stage required to save Noor Jehan’s life.
“She is still battling. “However, the situation remains critical and serious because lying for too long on the ground is life-threatening to elephants,” Four Paws’ Dr. Amir Khalil told the reporters.
He went on to say that everyone was working hard to get Noor Jehan back on her feet as quickly as possible.
Kanwar Ayub, the director of the zoo, expressed hope that the team’s hard work would not be in vain. “We’re crossing our fingers.” I’ve asked the experts who previously treated Noor Jehan to come to Karachi if they can.”
Noor Jehan was recently diagnosed with a huge hematoma in her belly, which caused edema in her reproductive organs and blocked the passage of urine and stool.
The experts suggested medication and physical treatment for the critically ill elephant. The zoo staff, on the other hand, allegedly displayed neglect, raising severe concerns among animal activists about the elephant’s life and well-being.
The Four Paws team performed extensive tusk procedures on Noor Jehan and Madhubala, the other female elephant, in August of last year.
In 2021, the team submitted a report to the Sindh High Court recommending a range of initiatives to improve elephant welfare, which was approached by a group of concerned people.
The experts highly recommended moving the zoo elephants to Safari Park, which also houses two female elephants, because the latter facility offered less noise pollution and a better species-specific environment.
Noor Jehan and Madhubala, along with two other Safari elephants, were captured and separated from their moms at a young age in Tanzania in 2010 and transported to Karachi under a contentious deal.