Kariba Health Update

Thermal Imaging

When Kariba developed a foot abscess on one of her front feet shortly before relocation to Pangea sanctuary, we decided to delay her departure until it was fully healed. This meant a minimum 8-week recovery time. The abscess was carefully opened and drained, allowing the infection to begin healing. Since then, Kariba has continued receiving regular veterinary care while her caregivers carefully monitor her comfort and mobility. The overseeing vet-in-charge at Pakawi Park, Dr Tim Bouts, is incidentally world renowned for his work with elephants, so we are in good hands. Her results are very encouraging so far, but we are allowing the healing to progress naturally without rushing Kariba’s return to transport training.

Recently, Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach, Director of Wildlife Research and Veterinary Expertise at World Animal Protection Denmark and a Pangea board member, visited Pakawi Park to assess her progress using advanced thermal imaging technology.

Jan completed his doctoral research with a specialisation in thermography of elephant feet. During his research, he examined more than 100 elephants across Europe, helping establish what healthy feet look like under thermal imaging so abnormalities can be detected earlier. There are few people better equipped to interpret Kariba’s results and provide expert guidance to her veterinary team, and Dr Bouts was grateful for his input.

A thermal image of Kariba’s foot shows expected inflammation, but overall her healing progress is very encouraging.

Analysing the Results

Unlike standard cameras, a thermal camera detects heat emitted from the body’s surface. Areas of inflammation produce more heat, allowing veterinarians to visualise tissue changes that aren’t always visible to the naked eye. The technology is completely non-invasive, causing no stress or discomfort to the elephant while providing valuable information about the healing process. When interpreted by experienced specialists, thermal imaging can help detect subtle changes before they become clinically obvious, allowing problems to be addressed earlier.

Kariba’s images clearly showed the expected inflammation surrounding the abscess. This is a normal part of the body’s response to infection and provides an important reference point for future examinations. Over the coming weeks, the team will repeat the thermal scans and compare them with these initial images. If the area of inflammation becomes smaller, it will confirm that the treatment is working and the foot is continuing to heal. If the inflammation remains unchanged or increases, the veterinary team can reassess the treatment plan before the problem becomes more serious.

Here we can see the extra heat radiating from Kariba’s injury compared to a healthy foot on the opposite side.

Continued Monitoring

When an elephant is uncomfortable putting weight on one foot, she naturally shifts more of her weight onto the opposite limb. Early signs suggest Kariba may already be placing additional pressure on her other front foot. This type of compensation is common and usually resolves once the original injury has healed. At this stage, there’s no indication of a serious problem. However, monitoring these subtle changes is important and something we will be keeping a close eye on to ensure that temporary compensation doesn’t develop into a secondary issue.

We’ll continue sharing updates as her recovery progresses and look forward to seeing her take the next steps on her journey to Pangea when she’s fully ready.