Free The Wild is working to end the suffering of four captive elephants in Karachi, Pakistan. Please donate now.

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BACKGROUND

 

Two of the elephants, Malaika and Sonu, are held in small cement enclosures and chained at the feet for 15 hours a day. The other two are held in Karachi Zoo, and live in similar conditions to Malaika and Sonu.

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Reports suggest that Malaika and Sonu are suffering from potentially life-threatening conditions that require urgent attention.

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• Broken nails - in the wild, elephants' nails wear away against sand and soil. Softer surfaces also allow their nails to bed in. On concrete, their nails cannot bed in, but break instead. Where bad breakages occur, infections can form under the nail. Left untreated, these infections can cause serious medical complications and even death.
   

• Cracked tusks - elephants use their tusks like we use our hands. Being entirely made of bone, cracks can be incredibly painful and lead to stress and long-term suffering if left untreated. 
   

• Swollen legs - elephants roam for hundreds of kilometres a day in the wild. Given their confined space, they are developing circulatory issues that can lead to heart conditions and muscle damage.
   

• Lacerated Feet - standing on concrete for prolonged periods on time can cause elephants feet to become dry and swollen. Over time, where the skin cracks - especially where these animals are made to stand in their own urine and faeces - infections develop in their feet, making it painful to stand. Two captive elephants previously suffered an agonising death due to complications associated with foot rot, Saheli and Suzi.

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Malaika and Sonu have been seen standing on three legs to relieve the pain in their swollen feet, but they are chained on cement floors, with no enrichment nor suitable space. They are housed in a 140m2 cage which has a divider in the middle so they remain solitary.

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One of Malaika’s legs is four times the size of her other legs and she appears to be unable to properly bear weight on any of her legs. When she walks, she hobbles along very slowly. The pads of her feet are cracked and have deep pits, which the Safari park management and elephant keeper claim to be ‘winter dryness’. We have been been told vaseline is being applied to her feet.

All four elephants are showing visible signs of psychological and physical pain and urgently need our help.