Lonely elephant Kaavan to sanctuary in Cambodia | Abroad

The pachyderm was placed in a transport crate on Sunday and hoisted with a crane from the small fence where he had been staying since 1985. The entire operation costs about 250,000 euros and is paid for by the international animal welfare organization Vier Voeters. Veterinarian Amir Khalil of this organization managed to win the trust of the traumatized Kaavan by singing the song My Way by Frank Sinatra time and again. “He is much calmer,” said Khalil.

80 animals

Animal activists won a lawsuit over the elephant’s situation in May. The judge ruled that “the pain and suffering of Kaavan” should end by moving him to a more suitable place. That place was found in Cambodia: Kaavan goes there to a reserve where eighty elephants already live and are cared for by expert staff.

According to Canadian elephant expert Darrick Thomson, who helped bring Kaavan to Cambodia, the elephant is being introduced step by step to prevent accidents.

The Asian elephant arrived in Islamabad in 1985 at the age of 1, as a friendship gift from Sri Lanka. In the first years he was accompanied by a fellow of the same kind, but he died in 2012. Animal activists brought to the attention in 2015 that Kaavan was also regularly chained.

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