Fighting to Save Karachi’s Last Captive African Elephants

When Jude Allen sang 'You Are My Sunshine' to a suffering African elephant named Noor Jehan at the Karachi Zoo, he never imagined the profound transformation it would spark in his life. Noor Jehan, just 17 years old, was enduring severe medical complications, and Allen spent her final days massaging her legs and nursing her bedsores until her death on April 22, 2023, as reported by Al Jazeera.

According to Al Jazeera, Allen was a corporate professional who volunteered as an animal caregiver, but the bond he formed with Noor Jehan shifted his life's direction. Now, three years later, that profound grief has evolved into a dedicated campaign alongside Pakistani and international activists and doctors to save Madhubala, one of Noor Jehan's sisters who faces major health challenges of her own.

Background

Al Jazeera reports that the story began in 2009 when four elephant calves captured in Tanzania were brought to Pakistan, allegedly through an animal trader. Two of them, Noor Jehan and Madhubala, were housed at the Karachi Zoo, while their sisters, Sonia and Malika, were taken to Safari Park, a larger facility in the same city.

Public attention on captive animals in Pakistan surged in 2020 around Kaavan, an Asian elephant that had spent 35 years in Islamabad before international animal welfare organisation Four Paws helped relocate him to a sanctuary in Cambodia, according to Al Jazeera. That pivotal episode drew light to the Karachi sisters, leading Allen to connect with Four Paws teams visiting the city. By 2021, Al Jazeera notes that Noor Jehan was suffering from a tusk infection, malnutrition, and stress.

Why it matters

According to Al Jazeera, the plight of these animals has transformed into a wider cry demanding care and justice for captive wildlife in Karachi, a coastal urban center home to 20 million people. Carers and activists assert that animals like Madhubala are victims not only of specific medical conditions, but also of a system that struggles to provide the necessary attention and facilities for animals kept in captivity.