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Karachi — Madhubala Tooth A 16-year-old elephant in Pakistan, who has suffered for years with pain from an infection and a broken tusk, finally felt better on Wednesday after being treated under unique standing sedation.
Madhubala, one of her four African elephants in Karachi, was treated by her team of eight members of the global animal welfare organization Four Paws. I am receiving In 2020, the team moved Karban, dubbed the world's loneliest elephant, from Islamabad to Cambodia.
Their visit was prompted last year by Karachi's Sindh High Court (SHC) to assess the animals' health status after local animal rights activists expressed concerns about their well-being in court. This is due to ordering the pose.
Madhubala, named after the legendary Indian actress, taped her eyes closed during her sedation and subsequent treatment at the Karachi Zoo. , had her legs tied to the side grille for support.
Veterinarians had to use drills and other heavy surgical instruments to extract the infected tusks piece by piece.
"Because of long-term inflammation, the tissue is so fragile and thin that it cannot be taken out quickly and is fragile," said Dr. Marina Ivanova, who told a Reuters reporter that the extracted fang showed
A pre-procedure endoscopy showed that she had 31 centimeters (12.2 inches) of full inner tusks, she said.
"Now it's important to focus on post-surgery care. Removing the tusks opens a large wound, which needs to be cleaned daily," she added.
Madhubala was kept sedated during the five to six hours of her procedure, so she did not resist much.
"Today, we are pleased to be able to start the first unique procedure at the zoo in a standing position that is not sleeping or full anesthesia, as it is dangerous and potentially fatal for elephants. This is undesirable,” said team leader Dr. Aamir Khalil.
The other elephants are doing much better since starting treatment on their paws two months ago, Khalil said, adding that the group has a number of programs to improve the welfare of the animals. He added that more needs to be done. (Reporting by Syed Raza Hassan, Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
