KARACHI, Pakistan: Veterinarians said they performed a critical procedure to save a sick elephant at a zoo in southern Pakistan on Wednesday.
Noor Jehan, 17, was brought to Karachi with three other elephants more than a dozen years ago. Videos of her leaning her head against a tree and struggling to stand have caused alarm in Pakistan. The elephant is experiencing a number of health issues, including arthritis.
An eight-member team from the Austrian animal welfare organization Four Paws did the complex procedure with the help of a crane and a fire truck.
“We nearly lost her when we gave her sedation, but luckily we had all the necessary preparations, and Noor Jehan stood up again,” said Dr. Amir Khalil, who led the team.
The experts did an ultrasound and found a large hematoma in her abdomen, which is affecting her organs.
“The good news is that there is treatment for this, but it requires a lot of work and some luck in the coming days,” Khalil said. “However, Noor Jehan is still young, and she deserves to live another 20 or 30 years.”
The team included veterinarians from Egypt, Bulgaria and an elephant husbandry expert from Germany. The governor of Sindh province, where Karachi is located, was at the zoo for the procedure, as were animal rights activists.
Khalil said authorities have agreed to relocate Noor Jehan to a better place with her fellow elephant, Madhubala, because her current conditions are unsuitable.
Noor Jehan’s pelvis was broken due to trauma and there is an abscess growing in that area. Khalil said there are many treatments available for her, including water massage and movement.
“We will move her to a bigger area where she can move around freely. This is what Noor Jehan needs.”
Foreign veterinarians save sick elephant at Pakistani zoo
https://arab.news/prxpw
Foreign veterinarians save sick elephant at Pakistani zoo
- The elephant is experiencing a number of health issues, including arthritis
- An eight-member team from the Austrian animal welfare organization Four Paws did the complex procedure with the help of a crane and a fire truck
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
