The Four Paws said on Tuesday that the Safari Park administration was apparently not responsible for the death of elephant Sonia.
However, it is said, the place where the female elephant was kept was not spacious enough for her.
Four Paws Mission Director Dr Amir Khalil, speaking on Geo News’ ‘Geo Pakistan’, said Sonia had been in trouble for a long time and the park administration as well as Four Paws in were conscious.
“The elephant’s trunk was infected and its hind legs were swollen,” Khalil said, adding that the tusk had also been losing weight for a long time.
A long-time resident of the Safari Park, the elephant named Sonia faced a sudden death on the night of December 7.
Staff at the establishment found the body of the female elephant, lifeless, in the enclosure where she was kept.
Formerly named Sonu, the tusker was mistaken for a male by the Safari Park for 12 years until its examination by Four Paws in 2021.
She was captured in the wild in Tanzania when she was very young with three other female elephants.
Today, with the death of Sonia, Safari Park only has two elephants: Malika and Madhubala.
Sonia’s death comes just weeks after Madhubala, previously housed at the Karachi Zoo, was moved to the Safari Park.
This was done to provide more natural environment and companions for Madhubala after the death of her long-time companion Noor Jahan at the zoo last year.
After Noor Jahan’s death, concerned animal experts advised moving Madhubala to the Safari Park, where she would have the company of two animals.