28 November 2021 – One year after the spectacular rescue of elephant Kaavan, who was transferred from Islamabad to Cambodia and now lives a species-appropriate life in an elephant sanctuary, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS returns to Pakistan. The Sindh High Court in Karachi in southwestern Pakistan requested the animal welfare experts to assess the wellbeing and health condition of four elephants in Karachi Zoo and Karachi Safari Park. The country recently banned the import of new elephants following the advice of FOUR PAWS.

Dr Amir Khalil leads a team of veterinarians and wildlife experts, including Dr Frank Göritz and Prof Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibnitz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and Dr Marina Ivanova from FOUR PAWS. The team works closely with the responsible national authorities to support their decision-making regarding the future care of the elephants, who are between 16 and 17 years old.

FOUR PAWS is ready to also provide assistance and help to other animals at the zoos if needed and permitted by the local authorities.

Following the assessment, the FOUR PAWS experts will propose their recommendations to representatives of the High Court who will take the outcomes into further consideration – a process that can take up to multiple years until a decision is made.

Kaavan was the last Asian elephant in captivity in Pakistan. According to official information, these elephants are also the last four African elephants in Pakistan.