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The ‘loneliest elephant in the world’ met Cher at a zoo in Pakistan before leaving for her retirement at a Cambodian sanctuary on Sunday.
His departure comes after years of campaigns by animal activists, including American singer and actress Cher, who helped secure her trip to the Cambodian shrine.
The elephant named Kaavan, an overweight Asian elephant, has languished in an Islamabad zoo for 35 years and lost his mate in 2012.
Kavann will now be sent to a new home, a 25,000-acre wildlife sanctuary in Siem Reap, in northwestern Cambodia, where he will spend his retreat with other elephants.
The famous 74-year-old Oscar-winning singer and actress recently arrived in Pakistan after she helped free him from a zoo for a new home and has spent the last few days at the Islamabad Zoo to provide moral support for the elephant.
This is the moment Cher met the ‘world’s loneliest elephant’ at a zoo in Pakistan after she helped secure his trip to a Cambodian sanctuary where he will live his retirement.
The elephant named Kaavan, an overweight Asian elephant, has languished in a terror zoo in Islamabad for 35 years and lost his mate in 2012. His departure comes after years of campaigns for his release by animal activists, including the 74 years old. American singer and actress (pictured right)
Veterinarians diagnosed him as overweight and malnourished earlier this year, and he also suffers from behavioral problems.
Kaavan’s regrettable treatment at the dilapidated facility sparked an uproar from animal rights groups and a vigorous campaign by Cher on social media.
“My wishes have finally come true,” Cher said in a statement thanking her Free The Wild charity.
“We’ve been counting down 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.
In May, Pakistan’s high court ordered the closure of the Marghazar Zoo in the capital Islamabad, where Kaavan has lived much of his life.
Cher met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Friday on the vast grounds of his residence before the Kaavan elephant’s release, and Khan personally thanked the star.
Volunteers paint an elephant picture on a box that was used to transport Kaavan to the Cambodia wildlife sanctuary on Sunday. Cher was scheduled to fly to Cambodia on Sunday to be in the Southeast Asian nation when the elephant arrives.
“ Thanks to Cher and also local Pakistani activists, Kaavan’s fate made headlines around the world and this helped facilitate his transfer, ” said Martin Bauer, spokesman for Four Paws International, an animal welfare group that has spearheaded the relocation effort. .
Bauer praised the powerful impact that celebrity voices can have for animal rights, saying: “Celebrities who lend their voice to good causes are always welcome as they help initiate public discourse and increase pressure on women. responsible authorities “.
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 loaded onto a truck and taken to Islamabad airport.
A lightly sedated Kaavan was coaxed into a specially constructed metal box, at one point using ropes to help pull him, 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 capital to visit Kaavan before the trip to a 25,000-acre Cambodian wildlife sanctuary, with Prime Minister Imran Khan personally thanking the star.
He met with Khan on Friday and his office posted a video of the singer sitting with the prime minister outside on the wide grounds of his residence.
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 match very soon.”
A team of veterinarians (pictured) and experts from the animal welfare group Four Paws International have spent months working with Kaavan to prepare him for the trip to Cambodia, which included training the elephant to enter the huge metal transport box that is put on a cargo plane for the seven hour flight
On Tuesday, with music, treats, and balloons, Kaavan’s friends threw a farewell party for the creature prior to its relocation.
The zoo was decorated with balloons for the occasion and banners wishing the animal the best. “We will miss you Kaavan,” read one of the signs.
Dubbed by the press as the “world’s loneliest elephant”, Kaavan is the only Asian elephant in Pakistan; the small number of other elephants 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.
Friends threw a farewell party for Kaavan on Tuesday before his departure with music, treats and balloons.
In the past, zoo officials have denied that Kaavan was kept in poor condition or chained, claiming instead that the creature was pining for a new partner after his partner, Saheli, who also arrived from Sri Lanka, 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.
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 an animal. There are many animals in Pakistan … that are in miserable condition. ‘
