17-year-old elephant dies in Pakistan zoo

[Kyng]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/m...istan-zoos

Pakistan’s zoos have faced criticism and calls for their closure after the death of a 17-year-old elephant in Karachi.

Noor Jehan, an African elephant, which have an average lifespan of 60 to 70 years, was already in poor health when she fell into a pond last month and was unable to get up. She later died.

The international animal welfare charity Four Paws said the Karachi zoo was not equipped to take care of elephants, and on a visit last year had advised that Noor Jehan and her companion, Madhubala, needed to be moved to a more species-appropriate home.

“Sadly this recommendation was not heeded in time to save Noor Jehan and now they have agreed to relocate Madhubala,” the charity said. “Noor Jehan’s tragic story is a reminder of the suffering that captive wild animals endure in Pakistan and around the world.”

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Wow, that's awful news - and it sounds like this was completely preventable . If zoos are going to keep elephants (or, for that matter, any other animals), then, they really need to be equipped to take care of them.

I hope this particular zoo either improves its facilities, or is made to stop keeping elephants (and any other animals it's not taking adequate care of).

[Pyrite]

This is really sad. Unfortunately, many countries don't have the technology or facilities to expend on making their zoos comfortable for animals. On the flipside, it is a blessing that countries such as the UK are able to properly look after the animals they house, and thus raise awareness and money towards conservation. Nonetheless, I would advocate for the zoos being improved rather than closed. Clearly something is wrong if they are losing elephants at such a young age, but that doesn't mean that the zoo can't be improved upon.

[Moonshroom]

Man, that's heartbreaking.

[ZandraJoi]

I don't care for zoos. The animals are there for human's entertainment, not for being rehabbed & being put back in the wild. I prefer Sanctuaries where animals are not in cages & contact with humans is rare.

[Pyrite]

I don't care for zoos. The animals are there for human's entertainment, not for being rehabbed & being put back in the wild. I prefer Sanctuaries where animals are not in cages & contact with humans is rare.

I'd say it depends on the zoo. Zoos are good when they are raising awareness for animal conservation and contributing to breeding programs, which have saved many species from extinction at this point, including Przewalski's horse and Père David's deer.  Plus, animals in sanctuaries will always be at risk from poaching. However, there's a world of a difference between zoos that are conservation minded, and a zoo which exists solely for entertainment.

In the UK, we are fortunate that the majority of zoos are more conservation minded, and some are even relocating into new spaces so that their animals can live in larger spaces (such as Bristol Zoo). Though I can't speak for other countries, of course.

[ZandraJoi]

I don't care for zoos. The animals are there for human's entertainment, not for being rehabbed & being put back in the wild. I prefer Sanctuaries where animals are not in cages & contact with humans is rare.

I'd say it depends on the zoo. Zoos are good when they are raising awareness for animal conservation and contributing to breeding programs, which have saved many species from extinction at this point, including Przewalski's horse and Père David's deer.  Plus, animals in sanctuaries will always be at risk from poaching. However, there's a world of a difference between zoos that are conservation minded, and a zoo which exists solely for entertainment.

In the UK, we are fortunate that the majority of zoos are more conservation minded, and some are even relocating into new spaces so that their animals can live in larger spaces (such as Bristol Zoo). Though I can't speak for other countries, of course.

The zoos we have here in the USA are more for human's entertainment. I never heard of the conservation minded ones. I'm glad they are out there though!

[Pyrite]

Ah, that's a great shame. I'm sure there will be a few out there that are more conservation minded. Of the American zoos, I only know of Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, which is involved in red panda breeding programs. Hopefully there's more zoos like it, and fewer like the one in the article that kickstarted this thread.

[Detective Osprey]

I don't care for zoos. The animals are there for human's entertainment, not for being rehabbed & being put back in the wild. I prefer Sanctuaries where animals are not in cages & contact with humans is rare.

Couldn’t agree more.

The news is awful. Poor elephant.