Kaavan, a 36-year-old overweight Asian elephant is finally on his way to a sanctuary in Cambodia after spending the majority of his life alone in captivity.
Kaavan’s relocation is in large part thanks to the efforts of the goddess and eternal pop star, Cher.
Now, fans are celebrating this massive success for the elephant Cher has been campaigning to save for years.
Kaavan the elephant has been living in poor conditions in Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan since 1985, as per the animal welfare group Four Paws International.
The elephant was brought to the zoo as a gift from Sri Lanka when he was just one.
Since Kaavan’s stay at the zoo, he has suffered from a lack of exercise as well as cracked and malformed nails due to his poor living conditions.
For a period of time, Kaavan had a partner elephant, Saheli, who lived with him from 1990 to 2012.
Sadly, she passed away when an infection of hers became gangrenous.
A veterinarian with Four Paws told The Associated Press that Kaavan was heartbroken when she died and has been living alone ever since. The passing of Saheli left Kaavan the title of the “World’s Loneliest Elephant.”
Thankfully, Kaavan’s nightmare is almost over as he has finally been granted the gift of freedom.
Kaavan will be relocated to an animal sanctuary in Cambodia, where he will be able to socialize with other elephants and live in appropriate and comfortable conditions.
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This news came as a relief to many, including pop queen Cher, who has been petitioning for Kaavan’s release since 2016 as part of her work with the organization Free The Wild, which she cofounded.
Cher told fans on Twitter she even met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to thank him for making it possible to move the poor elephant.
While Cher has been the leading celebrity endorser, it’s Four Paws International that will be transporting Kaavan.
Four Paws spokesperson Martin Bauer told NPR that “Transferring an adult elephant on a plane is something very, very rare. An elephant transfer by plane on this scale I think has never happened before, so we are writing history here,” he explained .
The Cambodian sanctuary already has three female elephants to keep Kaavan company, with Martin saying it’s “the best hope for him.”
“The goal is to socialize him. It will take a while because he has lived on his own for such a long time. But yes, ultimately the goal is to bring him together with other animals because that’s what elephants want. They’re herd animals, they always form families, and that’s also what we plan for him.”
Thankfully, Kaavan has made it safely to Cambodia! If this isn’t the good news we needed in 2020, I don’t know what is!
What an amazing initiative, and I’m so thankful Cher helped spread the message.
h/t: NPR .
