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Dr Amir Khalil of Four Paws, an international animal welfare organization, says that Madhubala, an ailing elephant at Karachi Safari Park, now has hope for recovery as her condition has improved slightly. She can stand and walk but still faces critical issues with her hind leg and significant weight loss. Dr Khalil arrived in Karachi on Thursday to assess the situation after local veterinarians were unable to diagnose the cause of Madhubala’s health crisis. A Sri Lankan expert, Dr Buddhika Bandara, is expected to arrive today to further evaluate both Madhubala and her companion Malika, who are Pakistan's last two captive elephants.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Dr Amir Khalil from Four Paws, an international animal welfare organization, arrived in Karachi on Thursday to assess the health of ailing elephant Madhubala, who has been under the care of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for several years. After reviewing her condition and collaborating with local veterinarians, Dr Khalil expressed cautious optimism, stating that Madhubala can now stand and walk after suffering from multiple infections three weeks ago. However, he emphasized that serious concerns remain about her hind leg issues and significant weight loss. A Sri Lankan wildlife health specialist, Dr Buddhika Bandara, is expected to arrive in Karachi on Friday (today) to further investigate the ongoing health crisis affecting Madhubala.
Written for “Elephant Welfare Concerns” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
• Dr Amir Khalil says elephant can now stand and walk, but hind-leg problem and significant weight loss remain a concern
• Sri Lankan expert likely to arrive today
KARACHI:
asserted
problem → say → expert
Dr Amir Khalil of Four Paws — an international animal welfare organisation that has been providing support to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in elephant care for the past several years — has said that ailing elephant Madhubala still “has hope, as her condition has improved”.
asserted
condition → provide → hope
Dr Khalil, who arrived at the metropolis on Thursday, said this after he made a detailed medical assessment of Madhubala.
asserted
he → arrive → Madhubala
He and Dr Buddhika Bandara, a prominent Sri Lankan wildlife health specialist and veterinarian, were called in recent days after Safari vets had so far been unable to diagnose the factors behind Madhubala’s ongoing health crisis.
Speaking to Dawn about her condition, Dr Khalil said that Madhubala had suffered from multiple infections three weeks ago, but her condition had improved.
“Madhubala can stand and walk now, thanks to the efforts over the last three weeks following cooperation with the team on the ground.
asserted
Madhubala → call → ground
Still, the situation regarding her hind leg and loss of [significant] weight is critical,” Dr Khalil said, emphasising that a lot needed to be done to improve her condition.
asserted
lot → regard → condition
“This includes [an] improved diet, administration of required medicines as well as building a treatment crush that provides stress-free access for medical procedures,” he explained, adding that there was still hope for Madhubala.
asserted
he → include → Madhubala
About the infections she had, Dr Khalil said that the initial blood reports showed that she had several bacterial infections while her stool sample indicated a parasitic infection.
asserted
sample → have → infection
“She needs to have an intensive treatment programme covering all aspects of recovery.”
asserted
She → need → recovery
Sources said Dr Bandara is expected to arrive in Karachi on Friday (today).
asserted
Bandara → say → Friday
Both experts have been called in by the KMC after seeing continued deterioration in Madhubala’s condition.
asserted
experts → call → condition
She reportedly collapsed twice in her enclosure in recent weeks.
uncertain
She → collapse → weeks
The sources said the foreign experts would also examine Malika, Madhubala’s companion.
asserted
experts → say → Malika
It may be recalled that Madhubala had been in solitary confinement at Karachi Zoo following the tragic death of her companion Noor Jehan, who died in 2023 after a tragic fall in her enclosure.
uncertain
who → recall → enclosure
Noor Jehan’s autopsy report released by KMC showed that she died from a severe blood parasitic infection and internal trauma combined with a lack of proper medical care.
asserted
she → release → care
Left alone at the zoo, Madhubala was successfully relocated to Safari Park, where she was reunited with her sisters, Sonia and Malika, in November 2024, under the supervision of Four Paws.
asserted
she → leave → Paws
The success story of her reunion soon faded as Sonia died a month later after collapsing in her Safari enclosure.
asserted
Sonia → fade → enclosure
Lab reports later showed that she suffered from multiple chronic illnesses, affecting almost all vital organs, indicating prolonged neglect in her care and failure in timely diagnosis.
asserted
she → show → diagnosis
The successive deaths of captive elephants raised public outcry, forcing the KMC to set up an 18-member body last year to look after Madhubala and Malika, both of whom were diagnosed with tuberculosis.
The four female elephants had been brought to Karachi from Tanzania in 2010 at a very young age under a controversial arrangement.
asserted
elephants → raise → arrangement
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