Kaavan, from the world’s loneliest elephant, has lived a happy life in a new place, away from years of harsh shackles.
Once dubbed “the loneliest elephant in the world”, Kaavan, a 37-year-old male Asian elephant, has been ‘reborn’ into a new life.
The story of Kaavan the elephant made the front pages of the international press after a campaign to free him from the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan – where he lived for more than three decades in harsh conditions.
After a six-year rescue operation, Kaavan was finally released and relocated to Cambodia’s Wildlife Sanctuary in November 2020.
So far, after more than a year since arriving at her new place, Kaavan is freely roaming around in a 12-hectare plot of land – near Angkor Wat, in harmony with nature, befriending 3 female elephants and becoming should be intimate with his new carers – Pedro Vella and Mut. Kaavan’s favorite pastime is eating.
To have that happy life, what did Kaavan have to go through? The story of the elephant Kaavan will probably bring tears to many people.
OVER 30 YEARS OF LIFE IN THE COMPLETE…
Kaavan came to Pakistan in 1985 – shortly after his birth – as a gift from Sri Lanka to the daughter of the Pakistani president, and spent 35 years in captivity.
Kaavan was kept in a cage with the female elephant Saheli. Both are often shackled in tight environments and are not provided with adequate food and water. In 2012, Saheli died of gangrene from an infection from the leash, leaving Kaavan alone. Kaavan then became the last remaining Asian elephant there.
That’s why people call him “the loneliest elephant in the world”.
Continuously 4 years after the death of her partner, Kaavan continues to live in an extremely harsh living environment. Most of his life he languished in a cramped captivity. He is not free to run and jump, not free to eat and find a new mate. Like many captive elephants, Kaavan should become obese and develop pathological, repetitive behaviors – he became aggressive because of captivity.
One day, Kaavan’s aggression killed two of his custodians, causing the zoo to keep him in chains forever.
Until one day, a global campaign was strongly supported by the American singer – stage name Cher – to fight the zoo’s neglect of the world’s loneliest elephant.
Singer Cher’s campaign has taken social media by storm as photos and videos of the lonely, chained and malnourished elephant at Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo, went viral globally. International communities of veterinarians, sanctuary owners, animal rights groups and wildlife experts have accessed the Internet in large numbers, voicing their concerns before this situation, calling on the authorities around the world to help put an end to this alarming situation.
In May 2020, the High Court of Islamabad closed the Marghazar Zoo because of its poor care conditions; also ruled that animal welfare organization Four Paws put Kaavan along with 38 other animals at Marghazar Zoo to be moved to other sanctuaries.
In the same year, Free The Wild, a charity that American singer Cher co-founded, wrote on Instagram that Kaavan was being put on a plane and started his journey to Cambodia. It has not been an easy journey to transport a 4-ton malnourished mammal more than 3,700 kilometers across Asia during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The non-profit Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary said in a Facebook post that Kaavan now lives in a large forest, where most of his food comes naturally – of course, with his Likes his food, Kaavan also does not refuse food offered by humans.
Singer Cher found out about Kaavan on Twitter after a series of calls for “Free Kaavan” flooded the social network in 2016, according to a statement from the Smithsonian Channel (USA), which is producing a documentary. about the story of rescuing the poor, lonely elephant.
Titled “Cher & The Loneliest Elephant” , the documentary follows American singer Cher’s journey to rescue the Asian elephant Kaavan in order to ensure Kaavan’s freedom. due, as she overcomes the legal hurdles and special difficulties of the mission. The film takes viewers on “a moving journey about people, animals and our connection to all species on Earth.
Singer Cher, nicknamed “The Goddess of Pop”, also personally wrote and performed a new song called ‘Walls’ for the documentary.
Singer Cher later said: “When I heard about Kaavan, I immediately thought ‘how can I change this? Is there something I can do to save an elephant that’s been shackled in a cage for decades, while it’s thousands of miles away?” “This is Free The Wild’s first major rescue and I am so proud”.
“Elephants are just like us, they are very family-oriented and affectionate,” Cher said.
ENJOY A NEW LIFE
As of May 2022, the elephant Kaavan has probably removed the label “the loneliest elephant in the world” because he is now living his best life at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. He is happy, free, in harmony with his fellow human beings and loves to spend time in the water.
Articles using sources: CNN, Smithsonianmag, SCMP
