No veracity in reports claiming 'sale of Noor Jehan's meat': KMC

• KMC refutes reports regarding alleged sale of dead elephant Noor Jehan's meat.
• Corporation says tusker buried under supervision of vets and experts.
• Madhubala to be shifted to Safari Park before Eidul Azha.

KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has refuted the reports regarding the alleged sale of captive elephant Noor Jehan's meat following her death after a prolonged illness at Karachi Zoo.

In a brief statement issued on Twitter, the municipal services governing body said that there was "no truth" in such reports.

"There is no truth in the news circulating on social media regarding the sale of meat of the zoo's elephant Noor Jahan," the statement issued on Karachi Administrator Dr Saif-ur-Rehman's behalf read.

It clarified that the postmortem and burial of the female tusker had been conducted under the supervision of international experts and vets.

KMC said that the members of the international animal welfare organisation Four Paws were also present on the occasion.

"The pictures and footage of each and every moment of the female elephant's postmortem and burial are safe with KMC," the statement read.

Moreover, the municipal corporation said that legal action would be taken against those involved in spreading such rumours.

"The purpose behind spreading news of the sale of Noor Jehan's meat is a nefarious bid to defame KMC and the country," it stated, adding that monitoring of the source of these reports had been started.

Seventeen-year-old elephant Noor Jehan died due to prolonged health issues exacerbated by reportedly a lack of care at the zoo. She was buried last Sunday at Karachi Zoo.

Madhubala to be shifted to Safari Park before Eidul Azha

Meanwhile, amid severe criticism and outcry about the living conditions of Madhubala, the other female elephant kept captive with Noor Jehan, is likely to be shifted to Safari Park before Eidul Azha, The News reported.

The Karachi administrator said that the transfer of Madhubala from the Karachi Zoo would be carried out before Eidul Azha. The announcement was made during a meeting, presided by Sindh Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, on the Karachi Zoo and the Safari Park on Friday.

Additional Chief Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah, Karachi Administrator Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, Four Paws team head Dr Aamir Khalili, Katrina Hussain, Sabina Dawood, Dr Javed Memon, zoo director Kunwar Ayub, Owais Khan Advocate and other members of the Four Paws team and officers also attended the meeting.

Rehman said a traffic plan had been prepared, and it would be implemented according to the procedures and criteria specified by the Four Paws team. He said that 20 acres of area had been allocated for the Safari Park for large animals.

Skill training for elephants had started and blood samples of three tigers and one tiger at the Karachi Zoo had been collected on Thursday. All animals would be scanned in the same way. The administrator said that the enclosure which would be built for Madhubala would be named after Noor Jehan.

Meanwhile, Shah said during the meeting that all precautionary measures will be taken to shift the mammal to the Safari Park from the Karachi Zoo.

A proposal to build a sanctuary for elephants in the Safari park will be sent to the Sindh government, and complete scanning of all animals will also be done, he said.

The provincial minister said the Sindh government was providing all kinds of support for the welfare of animals and they were saddened by the passing away of elephant Noor Jehan.

He said the way the Four Paws team had cooperated with the zoo management in the treatment of the ailing elephant was commendable. He hoped that they would continue to receive the support of this international organisation in the future so that if animals were sick, they could be treated with internationally accepted methods.

Minister Nasir Shah said that he had proposed to build a 1,000-acre safari park on the Super Highway and it should also be reviewed so that a big safari park could be built for the citizens of Karachi.

He added that the health of the elephants Sonia and Malika, already present in the Safari Park, should be taken care of and they should also be fully scanned.

It was also decided that the second meeting of the task force would be held on May 4, in which the future course of action would be decided.