KARACHI: Pakistani elephant Sonia passed away at the Safari Park in Karachi on Sunday morning, an official confirmed, less than two weeks after she was reunited with her sister Madhubala after a 15-year-long separation. 

Sisters Sonia, Malika, Noor Jehan and Madhubala were caught in the wild in Tanzania at a young age and brought to Pakistan together in 2009 but were soon separated, with Noor Jehan and Madhubala moved to the Karachi Zoo and Malika and Sonia to the city’s Safari Park. 

Noor Jehan died in April 2023 at age 17 following a prolonged illness caused by neglect, leaving Madhubala alone at the zoo. After a 15-year-long separation, Madhubala was shifted to the Safari Park on Nov. 26 where she was reunited with Malika and Sonia, estimated to be between 17 and 19 years old. 

“Sonia, one of the three elephants at Karachi’s Safari Park, passed away this morning,” Amjad Zaidi, director of the Safari Park, told Arab News.

“There were no health issues, and she appeared to be in perfect condition,” he added. 

Dr. Amir Khalil, director of the international animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS, said a doctor from Lahore would conduct Sonia’s post-mortem at Safari Park on Monday. 

“Based on this post-mortem report, it will be clear what factors led to the unexpected demise of Sonia,” Dr. Khalil told Arab News, highlighting that Sonia’s last medical report showed she was deficient in protein. 

FOUR PAWS said last month that the three elephants’ health was being observed by head veterinarian Dr. Frank Göritz from the Leibnitz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), who has been involved in treating the elephants since 2021.

In November 2021, after the provincial Sindh High Court asked FOUR PAWS to assess the Pakistani elephants’ well-being, all four required better diet and medical treatment. 

Pakistani English-language daily Dawn reported in July that Sonia was found to have developed a swelling between her hind legs. Zaidi told Dawn that Sonia had developed the infection but was recovering. 

Animal rights activists have long campaigned about the plight of animals in Pakistan, especially elephants, and demanded they be provided adequate medical care and nutrition.