Sonia, a 17-to-18-year-old African elephant at Karachi’s Safari Park, was found dead in her enclosure early Sunday morning.
According to Safari Park Director Amjad Zaidi, the elephant appeared healthy and active the previous evening but was discovered unresponsive at 6 AM on Sunday morning.
The Director of Safari Park, Amjad Zaidi, has dismissed rumors claiming that the African elephant Sonia was suffering from an infection or tumor.
During a press conference, Zaidi stated that the initial assessments by veterinary doctor Amir Ismail suggested heart failure as the probable cause of death, though a postmortem by Dr. Aamir Khalil of the organization Four Paws will confirm the exact cause.
Zaidi asserted that the elephant Sonia was one of four elephants in Karachi, two – Sonia and Malika – resided at Safari Park, while Noor Jehan and Madhubala were kept at the Karachi Zoo until Noor Jehan’s death last year.
READ: Elephant Madhubala injured herself during transfer to Safari Park
Madhubala was recently relocated to Safari Park to reunite with other elephants.
Zaidi also addressed concerns about the elephants’ diet, reiterating that Safari Park and Karachi Zoo maintain strict standards following Mayor Karachi’s directives.
“Last night, Sonia was fed sugarcane and fruits at around 10 PM,” he stated, emphasizing there is no compromise on animal care and diet from the authorities.
The elephant enclosure has been cordoned off with no one allowed access to the cage.
As per the article by an Arizona-based pet journalist – Maryann Mott – at National Geographic reveals significantly shorter lifespans for elephants in captivity.
For African elephants, the median life span is just 17 years in zoos compared to 56 years in the wild.
