For several years, associations have been fighting to save Kaavan, an elephant mistreated in a zoo. The animal is currently being transferred from Pakistan to a sanctuary in Cambodia.
Kaavan was nicknamed "the loneliest elephant in the world" by the press. The juggernaut lived for years in a zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, spending nearly 30 years in chains. Now 35 years old, obese and in poor mental health, he was finally able to be saved after years of mobilization of animal defense associations, and the singer Cher, who helped publicize his deplorable situation.
This Sunday, Kaavan was prepared to be transferred from Pakistan to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. "Thanks to Cher and the Pakistani activists, Kaavan's plight made headlines around the world and helped facilitate his transfer.", welcomed Martin Baueur, spokesperson for the Austrian animal rights association Four Paws, which is quoted by AFP. Activists have been mobilizing to save the Asian elephant for four years now: the singer "Enjoys a huge following, we really appreciated everything she has done for Kaavan since 2016", he adds.
A strong mobilization denouncing the state of Kaavan and the deplorable state of the zoo allowed a magistrate to request that all the animals be transferred elsewhere. The elephant's trip has been preparing for several months: veterinarians and trainers from Four Paws have spent a lot of time with him, especially to train him to enter the metal box. This Sunday, the latter was taken to the airport to be loaded onto a cargo plane before leaving for a seven-hour flight, financed in particular by Cher, who was thanked personally by the Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan.
Kaavan is the only Asian elephant remaining in Pakistan, the other pachyderms that live there being from Africa. According to AFP, the country's zoos are known for poor animal care and poor facilities. The administration of that of Islamabad had previously denied that Kaavan was the victim of mistreatment, and had claimed that he was waiting to find a new companion, after the death of his, Saheli, who died in 2012 from gangrene. Nonetheless, veterinarians who observed it noticed stereotypical behavior. The elephant could do nothing but turn its head and trunk from side to side for hours, suggesting that it was in mental pain.
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