Four Paws team arrives to help Noor Jehan spins into action.
Cranes, heavy machinery used for examining Noor Jehan’s feet
International vets to perform x-rays, endoscopies of afflicted limbs.
KARACHI: A team of veterinarians and wildlife experts from the global animal welfare organisation Four Paws visited Karachi Zoo to help with the health assessment and treatment of the deteriorating condition of ailing Noor Jehan, the elephant.
The team of a dozen international experts, led by Egyptian veterinarian Dr Amir Khalil arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday in response to a request made by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which runs the zoo.
The team also met with Karachi Administrator Dr Syed Saifur Rahman and the zoo management, according to a KMC press statement, to discuss certain arrangements required to run physical and radiological scans on the crippled elephant.
The team on Wednesday examined the pachyderm’s feet for which she needed to be put into an upright position, said Dr Rehman adding, cranes and other heavy machinery were brought in for the purpose.
The teams asked for treatment-related facilities and they were provided The Karachi administrator said the international team of experts had been provided everything to assist them in thoroughly looking into the elephant’s conditions
Talking to the media, Marina Ivanova, a member of the international team, said the elephant was supported by a crane to stand on her feet to examine her painful ankle, which would take at least two hours.
“A report will be prepared after checking the infection in the elephant’s toe,” Ivanova said adding, “X-ray and endoscopy of elephant’s foot will also be done.”
Four Paws’ team leader, Dr Amir Khalil said in his team was doing everything possible to bring the elephant back on her feet.
“The elephant has been made to get up with the help of a crane and if it is allowed to lie down again on the ground, it will be impossible for us to stand her up again,” Dr Khalil said.
According to a press statement issued by Four Paws, recent reports and images show Noor Jehan in serious physical distress.
The 17-year-old African elephant will receive a thorough veterinary examination to determine her future care, it said.
“Since 2021, Four Paws has strongly recommended to relocate Noor Jehan and her companion Madhubala from Karachi Zoo to a species-appropriate place that offers better living conditions for the elephants,” the statement said.
However, no measures to relocate them have been taken, it added.
“Pakistan has taken great steps for animal welfare in the last three years by protecting the natural rights of animals under the Constitution and banning elephant imports, as recommended by Four Paws,” the animal welfare organisation said.
Josef Pfabigan, the global CEO of Four Paws, said the lack of action to improve the lives of the elephants at Karachi Zoo was a setback. “We have already seen what strategic policy work and good relations between animal welfare experts and local officials can achieve, and we hope that we can achieve even more together.”
By building a strong foundation for animal welfare, “we can make a change for suffering animals, in Pakistan and worldwide,” Pfabigan said.
The deaths of four Pakistanis in a boat capsizing event close to the southern Greek island of Goudos have been verified by the Foreign Office.
The incident happened on Sunday and at least five illegal immigrants drowned as a result. According to Greek Coast Guards, 39 people were rescued after the wooden boat overturned, but 40 more are still unaccounted for.
According to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, the four Pakistani nationals were among those killed in the catastrophe. In order to help the remaining Pakistanis and repatriate the corpses of the deceased, the Pakistani Embassy in Athens has been in close communication with Greek authorities, she said.
Additional information was given by Aamir Aftab Qureshi, Pakistan’s ambassador to Greece, during a press conference. According to him, there were 80 Pakistanis on board the doomed boat, and efforts are still being made to find the people who are still missing.
He added that the overcrowding on the boat was a factor in the capsizing. There are worries over the safety of the missing people because a sizable portion of them are children. He stated that five boats carrying Pakistani nationals were traveling illegally from Libya.
The public was also informed by Ambassador Qureshi that the government will pay for the return flight of the accident victims’ bodies.
Approximately 450 Pakistanis, including 250 Zaireen, have successfully crossed into Lebanon from Syria, according to the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.
During her weekly briefing at the foreign office in Islamabad, she stated that Pakistan is pleased with the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on the Gaza Strip, which calls for an immediate ceasefire.
In addition, she expressed her satisfaction with the elimination of limits placed on UNRWA’s ability to carry out relief activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
It was stated by her that Pakistan is demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities in Palestine, an end to the genocide that is taking place in Gaza, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for those who are in urgent need, full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its mandated humanitarian activities, and medical assistance for those who are in urgent need.
Moreover, she stated that Pakistan emphasises the need for the international community to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that it has committed in occupied lands.
The Israeli aggression against Syria, the illegitimate acquisition of Syrian territory, and the massive devastation of Syrian infrastructure as well as civilian and military sites are all topics that Pakistan is extremely worried about, according to the spokesperson for Pakistan.
According to her, this attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is a serious violation of international law to the highest degree. By expressing our support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we are also expressing our opposition to the Israeli government’s attempt to acquire territory through coercion.
The resolution 497 of the United Nations Security Council, which declares the annexation of the Golan Heights by Israel to be null and illegal and to have no international legal impact, was reaffirmed by her organisation.