Elephant to leave Pakistan in Nov for Cambodia
ISLAMABAD: Kaavan, the lonely elephant whose poor living conditions in Pakistan triggered a global outcry, will be relocated to a Cambodian sanctuary in November, animal protection organisation Four Paws announced on Monday.
Kaavan is to be shifted to the Cambodian sanctuary by the end of November.
Travel arrangements that include organising a suitable aircraft are being made, whereas a transport box which weighs over 5 tonnes and is 3 metres high, is currently being built, said Four Paws, which is commissioned with the transfer.
Vets from Four Paws, a Viennabased body, had evaluated Kaavan’s physical and emotional health to see if he was fit for air travel and stable enough for a new life with other elephants.
Kaavan had been examined by veterinarians Amir Khalil and Frank
Goeritz, among others, in September to determine his fitness for travel.
Khalil had been training the elephant for travel.
In July, Pakistani authorities had announced that the elephant would be shifted to a sanctuary.
Kaavan had been living in poor conditions, often in chains, in a small enclosure at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad for more than three decades.
The Asian elephant was 1 year old when he arrived from Sri Lanka in 1985.
His mate, Saheli, died in 2012. His plight gained international attention, most notably from US singer and animal rights activist Cher. An online petition for the elephant’s release garnered more than 200,000 signatures in 2016.
The Cambodian sanctuary was chosen as it already houses over 80 elephants and is equipped with experts and other related facilities.