'World's loneliest elephant' Kaavan starts trip to Cambodia
Source: AP
By KATHY GANNON
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo, was readied Sunday for his flight to a sanctuary in Cambodia and the much-needed company of other elephants.
The mammoth task of getting him into an elephant-sized metal box for transport took several hours, and was perhaps the most crucial step in rescuing him from the dire conditions he’s lived in for 35 years.
Had Kaavan been spooked and refused to enter the cage or bolted, his departure could have been delayed for months while the rescue team sought to restore calm and trust before trying again, explained Martin Bauer, a spokesman for Four Paws International. The global animal welfare group has led the charge to save Kaavan since 2016.
Iconic American singer and actress Cher also arrived in Islamabad last week, the culmination of her longstanding efforts to raise awareness about rescuing Kaavan from the zoo. Conditions there were so bad that a court in the Pakistani capital ordered the zoo closed in August.
Dr. Amir Khalil, a veterinarian from the international animal welfare organization Four Paws, feeds an elephant named Kaavan who is loaded in a crate for transporting him to a sanctuary in Cambodia, at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. Kavaan, the world's loneliest elephant, who became a cause celebre in part because America's iconic singer and actress Cher joined the battle to save him from his desperate conditions at the zoo. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-animals-elephants-islamabad-animal-welfare-41675a1a1d715c65b985d5c7c9c80ea7
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