Madhubala, a 16-year-old elephant in Pakistan, received treatment on Wednesday while under a special standing sedation technique, bringing relief to her pain from a fractured tusk and a dental infection.
Madhubala was treated at the Karachi Zoo by having her legs fastened to side grills and her eyes taped shut. The elephant was treated by an eight-person team from the international animal protection organization, Four Paws.
"Due to long-term inflammation the tissue is so fragile and thin it's not possible to take it out at once, it is breakable," said,” Dr. Marina Ivanova said, showing Reuters reporters the extracted tusk.
An assesement before the procedure showed the full tusk inside measured 31 centimetres (12.2 inches).
"It now important for us to focus on postsurgical treatment, the removal of the tusk would open a big wound, so this wound needs daily cleaning," she added.
Madhubala did not put up much resistance during the five to six-hour treatment since she was kept sedated.
“Today we are happy to start the first unique procedure at the Zoo in a standing position not in sleeping or complete anesthesia as it could be risky for the elephant and could be fatal, which we don’t want,” team leader Dr. Aamir Khalil said.
Source: Reuters