World’s loneliest elephant Kaavan finally leaves tiny zoo and begins journey to wildlife sanctuary

An elephant dubbed the ‘world’s loneliest’ landed in Cambodia on Monday, where it will head for a sanctuary housing three potential mates, an official said. 

The case of Kaavan – an overweight, 36-year-old bull elephant – sparked global uproar from animal rights groups, who petitioned for his move from an Islamabad zoo accused of substandard care and conditions.

His cause was boosted by a spirited social media campaign by American singer Cher, who travelled to Pakistan to see him off.

‘Cambodia is ready to welcome Kaavan,’ deputy environment minister Neth Pheaktra told AFP news agency on Monday.

The elephant was expected to land in tourist hotspot Siem Reap around 2 pm (0700 GMT), before being transported to neighbouring province Oddar Meanchey where a wildlife sanctuary awaits him.

‘We expect to breed Kaavan with local elephants – this is an effort to conserve the genetic fold,’ the minister said, adding that the sanctuary also houses three female elephants.

Dubbed the world’s loneliest elephant by the press, Kaavan was the only Asian elephant in Pakistan.

But the conditions at the Islamabad zoo were so bad that a judge in May ordered that all the animals be moved.

A team of vets and experts from Four Paws, an Austria-based animal welfare group, has spent months working with Kaavan to get him ready for the trip – a complicated process due to his size and the amount of food needed en route.

Kaavan’s handlers are taking more than 200 kilograms of food including bananas and melons for him to munch on during the journey, according to Four Paws. 

The elephant also had to be taught to enter the massive metal crate that was placed in a cargo plane for the ten-hour flight. 

But ‘Kaavan quickly gained confidence in us and made great progress in a short time’, said Four Paws veterinarian Dr Amir Khalil in a statement Monday.

On Sunday morning, Four Paws led dozens of wildlife workers and experts used a winch and rope to pull the sedated elephant into his custom-designed crate.

Weighing more than 10 tons, the crate was then lifted by crane out of the enclosure and onto a truck. 

Later a military convoy escorted Kaavan to Islamabad’s airport from where he left for Cambodia in the early hours of Monday morning on a former Russian cargo plane. 

Four Paws, along with Islamabad authorities, also safely moved three wolves and some monkeys from the zoo. 

Currently only two Himalayan brown bears, one deer and one monkey remain.

Superstar Cher was in Cambodia to be part of Kaavan’s welcome entourage. She has been filming a documentary with the Smithsonian Channel covering the rescue, which is being facilitated by her animal welfare organisation Free the Wild.

‘I found out about Kaavan from the people on my Twitter,’ said Cher, according to a statement from the Smithsonian Channel. 

‘I thought how can I fix this? How can I save an elephant who’s been shackled to a shed for 17 years and who is a thousand miles away? This is Free The Wild’s first big rescue and I am so proud.’