Elephant Kaavan, who has been held in a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for over 35 years, is healthy enough to move to another animal shelter, possibly in Cambodia. In May, the zoo where the animal was held was closed by order of the judge due to the systematic poor care of their animals.
Animal activists often describe Kaavan as the loneliest elephant in the world. Sri Lanka gave the animal to Pakistan in 1985 to improve relations. Since 1990, the elephant has lived with his partner Saheli in the Marghazar Zoo.
Kaavan was locked up all alone when Saheli died in 2012. Soon the elephant began to show symptoms of loneliness, boredom, stress and insomnia. He also became increasingly aggressive towards caretakers. As a result, he increasingly had to be tied to chains for short periods.
Veterinarians from animal rights organization Four Paws said on Friday after the medical examination that Kaavan is overweight, despite there are also signs of malnutrition. In addition, his nails were overgrown and torn because his enclosure did not have the correct surface. Still, according to the experts, his health is enough to be moved.
The now-closed Marghazar Zoo in Pakistan is notorious for the poor conditions under which animals lived. According to the Four Paws animal organization, at least 500 animals ‘disappeared’ from the zoo in the last few years. The Marghazar Zoo is now temporarily managed by the local authorities.
Animal activists start campaign for release
In 2016, animal activists, including American singer Cher, started a campaign to free Kaavan from the Pakistani zoo. A petition to free the elephant has been signed more than 400,000 times.
Kaavan’s new home may become an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia, which previously rescued dozens of other elephants. Kaavan’s move is not without risk and must be well planned according to the animal organization. It is still unclear when the elephant will make the move to its new sanctuary.
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