Tue 24 November 2020:
An elephant who has become a cause célèbre for animal rights activists around the world sets off for a new life in Cambodia this week.
Dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” by his supporters, Kaavan has languished at a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for more than 35 years.
Officials and well-wishers gathered at Islamabad Zoo on Monday for a farewell party for Pakistan’s lonely elephant Kaavan.
To mark the occasion, officials, including lawmakers and Pakistan’s climate change minister, gathered among balloons and signs saying “Farewell Kaavan, we will miss you”.
Children posed for photos and musicians performed in front of the enclosure, with Kaavan at one point serenaded while he snacked on some grass.
Kaavan is known to be a fan of music and Amir Khalil, a vet from animal rescue organisation Four Paws, bonded with the elephant, who has been aggressive to humans in the past, by singing him Frank Sinatra songs.
Four Paws spokeswoman Marion Lombard said that though it was never easy to move a wild animal weighing 4.8 tonnes, Kaavan was responding well to training and was ready to leave.
“We decided to organise an event to give the opportunity to the people of Pakistan and the government to say goodbye to Kaavan, before his new life in Cambodia. So we want to wish him a happy retirement,” she said.
In May, Pakistan’s high court ordered the Marghazar zoo closed because of its abysmal conditions, which were blamed on systemic negligence.
The cause of rescuing Kaavan from the zoo’s dire conditions attracted the attention of animal activists around the world and celebrities, including American singer Cher, who lobbied for his relocation.
Kaavan will be airlifted to Cambodia after training for weeks with international specialists armed with treats such as bananas to get him used to the small enclosure and loud noises of the 10-hour flight.
Cher was due to arrive in Islamabad later in the week to finally meet the elephant she had worked for years to rescue and see him off.
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