Experts spent hours coaxing a lightly sedated Kaavan into a specially constructed metal box.
Islamabad:
After years of public protests and campaigning by American pop star Cher, the “world’s loneliest elephant” embarked on a massive transfer from Pakistan on Sunday to retreat to a Cambodian shrine.
The famous Oscar-winning singer and actress has spent the last few days at the Islamabad Zoo to provide moral support to Kaavan, a 36-year-old overweight bull elephant, whose pitiful treatment at the dilapidated facility sparked an uproar from rights groups. of the animals. and a lively Cher campaign on social media.
“My wishes have finally come true,” Cher said in a statement thanking her Free The Wild charity.
“We’ve been counting up to this point and dreaming about him for so long and finally seeing Kaavan transported out of the (Islamabad) zoo will stay with us forever.”
The Kaavan case and the dire conditions at the zoo resulted in a judge this year ordering all the animals to be moved.
“Thanks to Cher and also local Pakistani activists, Kaavan’s fate made headlines around the world and this helped facilitate his move,” said Martin Bauer, spokesman for Four Paws International, an animal welfare group that has spearheaded the relocation. effort.
Experts spent hours coaxing a lightly sedated Kaavan into a specially constructed metal box, at one point using ropes to help pull it, which was to be hoisted onto a truck and taken to Islamabad airport.
From there, Kaavan will be sent via a Russian transport jumbo jet for the long flight to Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia. The plane will stop for refueling in New Delhi.
Cher spent several days in the Pakistani capital to visit Kaavan before the trip to a 10,000-hectare (25,000-acre) Cambodian wildlife sanctuary, and Prime Minister Imran Khan personally thanked the 74-year-old star.
Cher was scheduled to fly to Cambodia on Sunday to be in the Southeast Asian nation when the elephant arrives.
Authorities said Kaavan will initially stay in a small designated section of the park where he can see other elephants.
“Sending him to a place where he can be with other elephants of his kind … is really the right choice,” climate change minister Malik Amin Aslam told AFP.
“We will be happy to see him happy in Cambodia and we hope that he will find a partner very soon.”
The ‘loneliest’ elephant
Dubbed by the press as the loneliest elephant in the world, Kaavan is the only Asian elephant in Pakistan; the small number of other pachyderms in other zoos are African.
A team of Four Paws vets and experts have spent months working with Kaavan to prepare him for the trip to Cambodia, which has included training the elephant to fit into the massive metal transport box that will be placed on a cargo plane for the seven. Flight time.
In the past, zoo officials have denied that Kaavan was kept in poor condition or chained up, claiming instead that the creature was pining for a new companion after his companion died in 2012.
But Kaavan’s demeanor, including signs of distress such as continual head movements, raised concerns about mental illness.
The activists also said that Kaavan was not adequately protected from the scorching summer temperatures of Islamabad.
Kaavan’s partner Saheli, who also arrived from Sri Lanka, died in 2012.
Human rights and conservation groups have said the dire conditions at the Islamabad Zoo were partly due to a lack of legislation in Pakistan aimed at protecting animal welfare.
“There are many improvements to be made,” said Rab Nawaz of the World Wildlife Federation in Pakistan.
“Kaavan is just one animal. There are many animals in Pakistan … that are in miserable condition.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
.
