Sonia, an African elephant, along with three other young female elephants, was captured in the wild in Tanzania in 2009 and brought to Karachi, where she was kept at a zoo.
After years of separation, Sonia, aged 17-19, has recently been reunited with her sister Madhubala. Her death, which occurred early Sunday, follows a health check-up just days prior, and an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause.
Sonia’s tragic passing comes less than two weeks after she and her sister Madhubala were reunited, offering a brief moment of hope for the elephants, who had endured years of captivity and isolation. While she showed signs of recovery, the Task Force on Captive Animals in Sindh acknowledged their failure to address Sonia’s condition on time, expressing shared responsibility for the loss.
With only two surviving sisters left —Madhubala and Malika—this loss serves as a painful reminder of the ongoing challenges facing captive animals in Pakistan. Sonia’s death highlights the urgent need for better care and treatment of animals in captivity.