A veterinary team at Karachi Safari Park has developed a unique treatment method to combat tuberculosis in two elephants, Madhubala and Malika, by giving them at least 400 human TB medication pills daily hidden in their food. The medication is adjusted according to the elephants’ massive weight of around 4,000 kilograms each.
The treatment has taken weeks for the elephants to accept after initially rejecting the bitter medicine and reacting aggressively toward their keepers. Sri Lankan veterinary surgeon Buddhika Bandara, who oversees the treatment, said the elephants showed stress early on but gradually adapted to the process.
Mahout Ali Baloch prepares medicated meals by mixing the tablets into rice and lentils blended with sugar cane molasses, forming small balls for the elephants to eat. Baloch rises early each day to make the food, aware of the bitter taste of the pills.
The four African elephants at Karachi Safari Park were captured young in Tanzania and brought to the city in 2009. Two elephants, Noor Jehan and Sonia, died recently after contracting tuberculosis, prompting tests that confirmed Madhubala and Malika are also infected.
Experts say elephants can contract TB from humans, though Madhubala and Malika showed no symptoms. Naseem Salahuddin from Indus Hospital, monitoring the staff, called the case unusual and educational for medical students.
Mahouts wear masks and scrubs while feeding the elephants to protect themselves from the contagious disease, which affects over 500,000 people annually in Pakistan.
The Safari Park, long criticized for animal mistreatment, hopes the year-long treatment will help its remaining elephants recover fully.
