Finally, the loneliest elephant in the world, saved by Cher, is free and in this moment he is on his way to the sanctuary that will host him
For years he has been considered the loneliest elephant in the world, locked up in a zoo in Pakistan, but now thanks to various international campaigns and thanks above all to the support of the singer Cher, Kaavan will have a new home, will be free and will live in a sanctuary of the Cambodia. Today he left the zoo and is traveling on a plane.
After years of public protests and campaigns by the singer, Kaavan has begun her journey to the Cambodian sanctuary where she will finally be able to spend a dignified life. A Russian cargo plane and a negative Covid-19 test made the miracle possible, also thanks to the Four Paws association.
After months of preparation and over 35 years of captivity, today Kaavan began his journey from the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary in Siem Reap. There he will live a species-appropriate life with other elephants. The historic move was implemented by Four Paws in collaboration with the Pakistani authorities, the American entrepreneur Eric S. Margolis and the NGO Free The Wild, co-financed by Cher.
Kaavan, along with the Four Paws team, is expected to disembark in Siem Reap this afternoon. For the association, the Kaavan rescue was the first elephant transfer by air. Worldwide, only a handful of adult specimens have traveled by air. To prepare for Kaavan's departure, a team of veterinarians and elephant experts were mobilized and spent about three months in the Pakistani capital. Three times a day, the team practiced safe and stress-free entry and exit with Kaavan to and from the transport crate, which weighs approximately four tons.
Today the Pakistani army monitored the operations. The Four Paws association, accompanied by a military escort, then took Kaavan to Islamabad International Airport, where an Ilyushin Il-76 was waiting for him along with a rescue team that will fly with him for 10 hours.
“Kaavan quickly gained confidence in us and made great progress in a short time. In his case, it took not just a village, but an entire country to transfer him to Cambodia, ”explains the association.
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Cher and her providential support
Cher spent a few days at the Islamabad Zoo to provide moral support to Kaavan whose pitiful treatment at the dilapidated facility has sparked ire from around the world.
"My wishes have finally come true," Cher said in a statement thanking her charity, Free the Wild. "We have been counting down to this moment and have dreamed of it for so long and finally seeing Kaavan being transported out of [Islamabad's] zoo will stay with us forever."
Kaavan's journey to freedom from captivity in Islamabad to Cambodia will be a 2021 Smithsonian Channel documentary…
Posted by Cher on Friday, November 27, 2020
Kaavan's case and dire conditions at the zoo this year led a judge to order the relocation of all animals.
“Thanks to Cher and also to local Pakistani activists, Kaavan's fate has made headlines around the world and this has helped facilitate his relocation,” said Martin Bauer, spokesman for Four Paws International.
“I am very proud of our organization for making history with this rescue mission. FOUR PAWS raised international attention to show the suffering of countless wild animals in captivity. By relocating Kaavan to a species-appropriate sanctuary, we demonstrate how it is possible to improve the lives of so many animals that are still kept in low-quality zoos around the world, ”added FOUR PAWS CEO Josef Pfabigan.
The official farewell of the Pakistani president
Pakistani authorities also paid tribute to Kaavan shortly before his departure. Pakistani President Arif Alvi and the First Lady went to Marghazar Zoo to greet him.
The last animals of the Marghazar zoo
The 28-hectare Marghazar Zoo was originally opened in 1978 as a wildlife sanctuary in the Margalla Hills in Islamabad, but was later turned into a zoo. Owned by the Pakistani capital Islamabad since its opening, Kaavan arrived in Pakistan as a gift from Sri Lanka in 1985. From 1990 onwards, he shared his enclosure with his partner Saheli, but since his death in 2012, Kaavan has lived in a lonely existence. The zoo has repeatedly made headlines due to its poor condition. Only in July 2020 did shocking videos appear of two lions fighting a fire in their small enclosure. Both eventually died from smoke inhalation. In recent years, more than 500 zoo animals have been reported missing and, in the past four years alone, more than two dozen animals have died.
With Kaavan, another animal has left the Marghazar Zoo, which is closing its gates for good. Before that, FOUR PAWS, along with the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, had already safely relocated three wolves, some monkeys and all rabbits. Currently there are only two Himalayan brown bears left in the zoo, a deer and a monkey. Four Paws plans to take the two former dancing bears Suzie and Bubloo to Jordan in mid-December.
Buona Vita Formula!
Sources of reference: Afp via The Guardian, Four Paws International
READ also:
- Kaavan has a new friend! The loneliest elephant in the world sees a fellow elephant for the first time in 35 years
- The last two animals leave the Pakistani zoo where Cher rescued the loneliest elephant in the world
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- Singer Cher cries for joy: Pakistan's "loneliest elephant" has won his battle for freedom
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