Elephants’ foot and dental problems very painful and need immediate treatment, SHC told

Foot and dental problems/diseases are very painful and can lead to a life-threatening situation in elephants kept at the Karachi Zoo and Safari Park, and animal welfare efforts are needed urgently, a team of foreign veterinary experts told the Sindh High Court in its final report.

Filing a detailed examination report with the SHC about the health of four elephants being kept at the Karachi Zoo and Safari Parkat, Dr Frank Goeritz Karachi, head veterinarian of Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany, suggested immediate actions for the treatment of the elephants and long-term measures for their good health.

The court had earlier appointed Frank Gortiz, head veterinarian of institute for zoo and wildlife research to verify health condition of the elephants.

The veterinary experts submitted in the report that proper footcare and dental care is required on an immediate basis, besides less invasive repeated conservative tusk treatment first in standing sedation and later routinely with daily care. The experts also recommended vaccination of all elephants against tetanus and other clostridium bacteria.

They also suggested long-term actions, including housing a group of adult female elephants safely, both for the animal and for the people, to ensure a good health status on a long term and to improve the animal welfare. They said that although the actual physical condition of the elephants is good and their health status is not alarming, they display signs of neglected body/food care programme and some stereotypical behaviour.

They said that it is imperative to train the animal to receive routine body care and basic medical check-ups (e.g. food trimming, blood collection) as well as to provide simple veterinary care (e.g., injections, treatment of creaked nails, wound treatments) to prevent disease manifestation and decline of general health conditions. They submitted that changes in enclosure design and in animal training are mandatory to facilitate “behavioural enrichment programme” to stimulate the elephants physically and mentally.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation also filed a report of Lahore Zoo experts with regard to the health condition of elephants, and it states that elephants are in a good health condition. The Lahore Zoo veterinary experts said that two elephants at the Karachi Zoo have tusk problems while elephants at the Safari Park have foot problems, which are curable. They said that treatment may be continued and diet plan may be formulated accordingly.

A division bench comprising Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar and Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput, after taking reports on record, directed the counsel to go through the reports and submit their arguments at the next hearing.

The applicant, an NGO for animals, had submitted in the application that the four elephants -- Malika, Sonu, Noor Jehan and Madhubala -- were being kept at the Safari Park and the Karachi Zoo in concrete structures and improper condition, which was putting their lives at risk.

The NGO said that on the basis of video and photographic assessment, wildlife experts had concluded that the elephants were being kept in a deplorable state. The organisation’s representative said that one of the elephants, Malika, was in a dire need of medical attention because, according to veterinary experts, she was forced to put her weight on two legs since all four of her feet could not carry her weight.

The applicant said that serious health problems like arthritis, hernia, swelling in the knee joints, and overgrowth of foot soles and cuticles as well as inflammation were common in captive elephants, and that all the four animals showed signs of being afflicted with at least one of these ailments. The high court had been requested to decide the petition with regard to the shifting of the elephants to an appropriate habitat because the animals could suffer irreparable damage to their health.