Published 06:45 IST, November 30th 2020
World's loneliest elephant Kaavan finds home in Cambodia after long-drawn rescue campaign
Kaavan, the jumbo dubbed as the 'world's loneliest elephant', has started its journey from Pakistan to Cambodia after spending over eight years in isolation.
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Kaavan, the jumbo dubbed as the 'world's loneliest elephant', has started its journey from Pakistan to Cambodia after spending over eight years in isolation. The elephant on Sunday, November 29 was rescued from a Pakistani zoo following efforts from animal rights organisation Four Paws International and American singer and actress Cher, who led a campaign to save the mighty animal. Kaavan will travel to Cambodia via a Russian cargo plane, where it will be greeted by three female elephants at a 25,000-acre sanctuary.
The elephant has been living alone at the Pakistani zoo since the death of its partner Saheli in 2012. The condition at the zoo was not at all livable, which resulted in a court ordering the facility's closure.
Cher and Four Paws International have been running a campaign to rescue Kaavan since 2016 and the mission is finally being completed with the relocation of the Asian elephant. According to the Associated Press, the relocation of Kaavan, which has cost $400,000, is being captured on camera and will be turned into a documentary film.
'Hopeful'
Dr. Amir Khalil, a veterinarian with Four Paws, who has been looking after the elephant for the past several months, said that he is 'hopeful' about the new chapter that Kaavan is going to begin in Cambodia. Khalil is also responsible for the extraordinary transformation of Kaavan as he helped the animal lose over 450 kilograms after it was diagnosed as being dangerously overweight. Kaavan was eating more than 250 kilograms of sugarcane every day before it was discovered that the elephant is obese.
Kaavan is also a victim of mental health problems as despite being a social animal, it has been living in isolation for the past eight years. The jumbo used to throw his head from side to side, which is a sign of boredom in elephants, as he used to spend his days alone in confinement. However, the elephant is now set to get its social life back in the Cambodia sanctuary.
06:45 IST, November 30th 2020