Cher welcomes ‘world’s loneliest elephant’ to new home in Cambodia
SUPERSTAR Cher welcomed “the world’s loneliest elephant” to Cambodia on Monday to begin a new life at a specialised sanctuary after the creature was rescued from grim conditions in a Pakistani zoo.
The plight of Kaavan -- a 36-year-old bull elephant at Islamabad’s dilapidated zoo and originally from Sri Lanka -- sparked global uproar from animal rights groups, who launched a campaign to save him.
His cause was boosted by a spirited social media support from actress and musician Cher, who travelled to see him off from Pakistan and then to Cambodia to welcome him to his new home.
Wearing a black face mask, the Oscar winner was on hand at Siem Reap airport and waved excitedly at the plane after it landed around 2:30 pm (0730 GMT).
“I am so proud he is here,” she told AFP, after greeting Kaavan through an opening at the base of the crate.
“He’s going to be really happy here,” said Cher, adding that she was hopeful his ordeal was over.
Kaavan’s much-anticipated journey was “uneventful”, said Amir Khalil, a veterinarian
from animal welfare group Four Paws, adding he behaved “like a frequent flyer”.
“Kaavan was eating, was not stressed -- he was even a little bit sleeping, standing, leaning at the crate wall,” he said.
Transporting an adult elephant by plane is no small task, and has only been undertaken a handful of times.
Helpers packed his trunk with 200 kilos (450 pounds) of food to snack on during the seven-hour flight, while a tube system was installed in his transport crate aboard a jumbo Russian cargo plane to handle up to 200 litres of urine.
After Kaavan touched down, monks offered him fruit, chanted prayers and
sprinkled holy water on his crate to bless him.
He was then loaded onto a truck for the journey to Oddar Meanchey province where a wildlife sanctuary that houses other elephants will be his new home.
Cher followed behind in her own vehicle as Kaavan made his way through farmland and past the famous Angkor Wat temple.
“Cambodia is pleased to welcome Kaavan. No longer will he be ‘the world’s loneliest elephant’,” deputy environment minister Neth Pheaktra said.
“We expect to breed Kaavan with local elephants -- this is an effort to conserve the genetic fold,” the minister told AFP.