Zoo elephant wins freedom after 35 years in chain
High Court orders Kaavan to be relocated to an animal sanctuary
International animal rights group ‘Pro-Elephant Network’ (Pren) has hailed Islamabad High Court’s recent judgement to relocate the federal capital’s lonely, chained elephant Kaavan to an animal sanctuary as a ground-breaking verdict and a victory for animals rights activists.
In a letter dated June 8, 2020, and addressed to the legal team that raised and contested the issue of 35-yearlong captivity of ageing Kaavan in Islamabad’s Margazar Zoo, Pren congratulated the team on the historic decision, saying it had very few precedents.
“Your historic representation of the case of Elephant Kaavan, deprived of life and freedom for 35 years, and the hard work it entailed had gone to make this legal battle with few, if any, precedents,” the letter stated.
Unimaginable pain
While referring to the ordeal of the animal that has been living a miserable life in the zoo for more than three decades, the letter further says: “We welcome the judgement for its many key statements, starting from the one which recognised that Kaavan had been treated cruelly by subjecting him to unimaginable pain and suffering for the past three decades and his continued captivity in the circumstances would expose the authorities to criminal consequences under the Act of 1890 [Pakistan Penal Code]. The pain and suffering of Kaavan must come to an end by relocating him to an appropriate elephant sanctuary in or outside the country.”
Pren’s letter further highlights the need to provide the animal with an environment that guarantees it to be in protected contact at the sanctuary.
“This is crucial for the choice of the sanctuary, his new home, as he has hardly been in direct contact, a standard which many sanctuaries apply,” the letter says.