Following the recent death of Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo that drew criticism towards the conditions of the zoo, another elephant named Madhubala has fallen ill with a potentially fatal infection.
Madhubala, who had been living in isolation since April after the death of her partner Noor Jehan, was diagnosed with the infection after blood samples were taken by a team of veterinarians from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. The infection is believed to have been contracted from Noor Jehan, whose postmortem report indicated that she died from a blood parasite disease.
An anonymous zoo official disclosed that Madhubala has received some treatment for the illness, and the treatment will continue until further samples are taken. Efforts are being made to prevent the infection from progressing to an advanced stage.
Previously, it was reported that Karachi authorities have allocated over an acre of land at Safari Park for Madhubala, where she would receive training and a container is being prepared for her. The process of shifting Madhubala to the new area is currently in the initial phase, as the allocated area has been unused and overgrown for the past 50 years.
