Latest news with #CDRSBenjiProject
France 24
20-07-2025
- General
- France 24
Pakistani camel relearns to walk with prosthetic leg
"I started weeping when I saw her walking with the prosthetic leg. It was a dream come true," Sheema Khan, the manager of an animal shelter in Karachi told AFP on Saturday. Veterinarian Babar Hussain said it was the first time a large animal in Pakistan had received a prosthetic leg. Cammie's leg was allegedly severed by a landlord in June 2024 as punishment for entering his field in search of fodder. A video of the wounded camel that circulated on social media prompted swift government action. According to the deputy commissioner of Sanghar, she was transported the very next day to Karachi, over 250 kilometers (155 miles) away, and has been living in a shelter there ever since. "She was terrified when she first arrived from Sanghar. We witnessed her heart-wrenching cries. She was afraid of men," Khan told AFP. One of the biggest challenges the caregivers faced was gaining her trust. "I cannot put her condition into words," Khan added. To aid her recovery, the caregivers introduced another young camel named Callie. Her presence brought comfort to the injured Cammie, who tried standing on her three legs for the first time after seeing her new companion. "Cammie had been confined to her enclosure for almost four to five months before Callie arrived," Khan added. After treating the wound and completing initial rehabilitation, the shelter -- Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) Benji Project -- arranged a prosthetic leg from a US-based firm so she could walk on all fours again. "We don't force her to walk. After attaching the prosthetic leg, we wait about 15 to 20 minutes. Then she stands up on her own and walks slowly," veterinarian Hussain told AFP. He said that it would take another 15 to 20 days for her to fully adjust to the new limb. The caregivers said Cammie will remain at the shelter permanently.
Arab News
15-07-2025
- General
- Arab News
A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan
KARACHI: A year after being brutally maimed by a landlord who chopped off her leg in Sanghar district of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Cammie the camel walked again Tuesday morning on all four legs with the help of a prosthetic limb, creating a euphoric feeling among her caregivers. Cammie's first steps came after a long period of intensive rehabilitation at the Karachi shelter of the CDRS Benji Project for Animal Welfare, which collaborated with a US-based prosthetics firm and received support from the provincial government to provide the young camel with a new limb. 'Today I am ecstatic,' Sarah Jahangir, director of the animal shelter, told Arab News. 'I don't have words for how happy I am seeing Cammie stand up on her prosthetic.' 'I am so proud of my team,' she continued. Jahangir also expressed gratitude to Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri and her sister, Shazia Marri, a provincial lawmaker in Sindh, for their support. 'I can't thank both enough for rescuing Cammie, and trusting us and supporting us wholeheartedly.' Cammie had wandered into a private field in Sanghar last year in search of food when a landlord, enraged by the intrusion, hacked off her front leg with a sharp weapon. The incident led to public outcry that forced the state to intervene. Authorities filed an animal cruelty case against the landlord, arresting five people under Pakistan's rarely enforced animal rights laws. The prosthetic leg, specially designed by Virginia-based Bionic Pets, was delivered two months ago. Cammie's medical team had waited for both her physical wound to heal and for her mental readiness before fitting the limb. 'She was a very scared, nervous little child,' said Sheema Khan, the shelter manager, who was crying on Tuesday when Cammie took her first steps with the new leg. To help her emotionally overcome, Cammie was paired with another rescued camel, Callie, who became her emotional companion. Their friendship proved vital: on the night Callie arrived, Cammie stood up on her own for the first time in months. However, the wounded camel couldn't walk until the moment arrived on Tuesday morning. 'Seeing Cammie stand on her own is vindication of months of dedicated hard work,' Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri told Arab News. 'When this tragic incident first occurred, my sister, the elected MNA from Sanghar, was appalled… With the help of the Sindh Government and the selfless volunteers at CDRS Benji, we resolved to bring her back on her feet, and today we have managed that. Allah has been most kind.'
