Elephant dies of apparent heart failure in Pakistan, weeks after family reunion

Dubai: A 19-year-old elephant named Sonia tragically died on Sunday of what appears to be heart failure at a safari park in Karachi, Pakistan, less than two weeks after being reunited with her sister.

According to an Associated Press report, Sonia, who had lived in Karachi since 2009, is the second elephant to die in the city in the last two years. Her sister, Madhubala, was recently transferred from the Karachi Zoological Garden to join Sonia and their other sister, Malika. Madhubala had been separated from them about 15 years ago.

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Park officials noted that Sonia had appeared healthy and was eating normally before the sudden event. Her lifeless body was discovered early Sunday morning.

The administration confirmed that a post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of death. Syed Amjad Hussain Zaidi, director of the safari park, stated that the results of Sonia’s post-mortem will be shared soon.

This marks the second elephant death in Karachi in two years. In April 2023, 17-year-old Noor Jehan passed away just days after undergoing a critical medical procedure. In 2020, Kaavan, known as the "world's loneliest elephant," was relocated to a sanctuary in Cambodia after years of isolation in a Pakistani zoo, with support from singer Cher.