Karachi: Global organisation, Four Paws have sent their veterinarian doctors to Karachi for the treatment of elephants. The team of four doctors have arrived in Pakistan to treat four female elephants- two of them are in the Safari park, and the other two are at the Karachi zoo.
The team comprises Dr Marina Ivanova, Dr Frank Goritz, Dr Thomas Hilderbrandt, CEO of Four Paws Josef Pfabigan, Director Dr Amir Khalil, elephant trainer Mathias Otto and his assistant Agnieszka.
The team would carry out a thorough medical and dental examination of the elephants. However, the main concern is dental treatment. According to the Four Paws Director, Dr Amir Khalil, the vets will perform root canal treatment for the elephants. The root canals will be done on the 17-year-old Noor Jehan and 16-year-old Madhubala, the two pachyderms at the Karachi Zoo.
The root canal procedure will be done with the help of specially-designed, large-sized excavators, drills, endodontic burs and other dental instruments. According to the reports, both animals are in constant pain due to the tusk infection as it is stated to have reached an alarming stage.
"Our specialised veterinarians will use an innovative treatment much less invasive than the traditional approach," says Dr Amir Khalil.
"The traditional surgery would only be possible under risky anaesthesia and would result in long post-surgery treatment with a higher risk of complications. Hence, we plan to do the surgery under a ‘standing’ sedation." He added.
"We are coming with a big team this time as it is an essential and unique operation to be performed by internationally recognised vets."
The procedure will include removing the dead tissue and cleaning the root canal. Furthermore, the team will teach the local team how to conduct regular post-treatment flushing to prevent inflammation and sustain hygiene of the wounds.
