Foreign veterinarians save sick elephant Noor Jehan at Pakistani zoo

International veterinarians said they performed a critical procedure to save a sick elephant at a zoo in southern Pakistan on Wednesday.

Noor Jehan, 17, was brought to Karachi with three other elephants more than a dozen years ago.

Videos of her leaning her head against a tree and struggling to stand have caused alarm in Pakistan. The elephant is experiencing a number of health issues, including arthritis.

A team of veterinarians and wildlife experts from Four Paws International intervened after images of the ailing African elephant were shared across social media.

"We nearly lost Noor Jehan when we gave the sedative," veterinarian Amir Khalil told reporters after the jumbo diagnosis. "It was a risky procedure."

A team of veterinarians and wildlife experts examine elephant Noor Jehan during a medical assessment at the Karachi Zoo. AP

A huge crane was deployed on Wednesday to lift the 3.5-tonne pachyderm after she had been tranquillised.

Ultrasound and other tests suggest Noor Jehan has a huge hematoma inside her abdomen, as well as issues with her intestines. "It is clear Noor Jehan is in serious pain and suffering," Khalil said.

Veterinarians arrive for examining elephant "Noor Jehan." AP

"The good news is that there is treatment for this, but it requires a lot of work and some luck in the coming days,” Khalil said. "However, Noor Jehan is still young, and she deserves to live another 20 or 30 years.”

Pakistan's zoos are frequently criticised for disregarding animal welfare, and in 2020 a court ordered the only zoo in the country's capital to shut because of its decrepit state.

The zoo drew international condemnation for its treatment of an Asian elephant named Kaavan, who was later airlifted to retirement in Cambodia in a project spearheaded by US popstar and actor Cher, and carried out by Four Paws.

Veterinarians look at an elephant named "Noor Jehan" at Karachi Zoo. AP

Last year a zoo in the eastern city of Lahore called off plans to auction 12 lions to private individuals after overbreeding, saying it would instead create new enclosures for the big cats.

"It is high time to phase out zoos from Pakistan," said Mahera Omar, the chief of Pakistan Animal Welfare Society.

The team included veterinarians from Egypt, Bulgaria and an elephant husbandry expert from Germany. The governor of Sindh province, where Karachi is located, was at the zoo for the procedure, as were animal rights activists.

Khalil said authorities have agreed to relocate Noor Jehan to a better place with her fellow elephant, Madhubala, because her current conditions are unsuitable.

AFP / AP