African elephant Noor Jahan rests on a sand pile, at a zoo in Karachi, Pakistan on April 14, 2023.

Noor Jehan, an elephant in Pakistan’s Karachi Zoo, is critically ill after the 17-year-old fell in a pond on Thursday in a small enclosure.

Right after the fall Four Paws, a global animal welfare organization, recommended lifting Noor Jehan with a crane, ropes and belts. She has since been lying visibly weak with limited motion on a mound of sand, propped up against the only tree inside the enclosure.

“Her condition is very critical at the moment. We are trying everything to save her,” Four Paws spokeswoman Katharina Braun said by email. “It is very important that she gets up as soon as possible, laying too long on the ground… can be life threatening.”

Noor Jehan is suffering from a huge hematoma, or pool of clotted blood, inside her abdomen in addition to intestinal issues, Four Paws member Dr. Amir Khalil said during his visit to treat her last week. The veterinarian from Egypt had then given Noor Jehan a strong chance of survival.

Reuters reported that the director of Karachi Zoo Khalid Hashmi was removed from is role on April 8 over complaints of negligence.

His successor, Kanwar Ayub, said he was unsure if the complaints were true in the week following the Four Paw’s visit.

The elephant is suffering from a huge hematoma, or pool of clotted blood, inside her abdomen in addition to intestinal issues, vets said.

In 2020, American singer Cher arrived in Pakistan to send off Kaavan, an elephant in Islamabad Zoo she had spent years trying to free, before his move to a Cambodian sanctuary.

Noor Jehan was brought to Pakistan from Tanzania more than a decade ago, Reuters said.