Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
'World’s Loneliest Elephant' Arrives Safely in Cambodia
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
November 30, 2020

Share

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The pachyderm dubbed the “ world’s loneliest elephant ” after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo was greeted on his arrival in Cambodia on Monday by chanting Buddhist monks and was then sent on his way to a wildlife sanctuary.

Like other travelers during these times, Kaavan needed to be tested for COVID-19 before his flight. Once his large metal crate was safely on board, Kaavan was provided with in-flight snacks — 200 kilograms of them — for the seven-hour journey.

Kaavan was not stressed during the flight, eating his food and even getting a little bit of sleep standing in his crate, said Amir Khalil, a veterinarian who accompanied him on the flight and works with Four Paws, the Vienna-headquartered animal rescue group that organized the move.

“He behaves like a frequent flier. The flight was uneventful, which is all you can ask for when you transfer an elephant,” Khalil said.

The 36-year-old, 9,000 pound elephant received a warm welcome on arrival in Cambodia from officials, conservationists and the Buddhist monks, who chanted prayers for his harmony and prosperity.

Kaavan, a 1985 gift from Sri Lanka to Pakistan, had been living in the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad with his partner Saheli, who died in 2012. The zoo fell on hard times and conditions got so bad that a court in the Pakistani capital ordered the zoo closed in August.

The plight of the male Asian elephant has captured worldwide attention, including from the American singer and actor Cher, who has been closely involved in his rescue and was in Cambodia for Kaavan’s arrival.

Cher’s animal welfare group Free the Wild has worked with Four Paws and the American syndicated columnist and philanthropist, Eric Margolis, to relocate Kaavan — a mission that’s cost about $400,000.

Veterinarians and Elephant Experts Working for Four Paws Spent Three Months in Islamabad

According to Four Paws, very few adult elephants have ever been relocated by plane, so preparations were arduous.

Veterinarians and elephant experts working for Four Paws spent three months in Islamabad, coaching Kaavan three times a day on how to enter and exit safely and without stress his four-ton travel crate, which includes a system that can hold up to 53 gallons of urine.

He was also dangerously overweight due to his unsuitable diet of around 550 pounds of sugar cane each day. With Khalil’s help, Kaavan lost 1,000 pounds over the past three months.

Kaavan’s wounds are emotional as well as physical. He would spend his days throwing his head from side to side, a stereotypical sign of boredom and misery in an elephant, said Martin Bauer, a spokesman for Four Paws.

The loss of his mate Saheli took a toll on Kaavan’s mental health. Elephants are social animals that thrive on the company of other elephants, Bauer explained. For Kaavan, the last eight years have been akin to living in quarantine — something the world has come to understand all too well amid the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Late Monday, Kaaven was being driven by truck to a camp in northern Cambodia where he should be able to leave his crate on Tuesday.

“Once Kaavan feels at home in a controlled setting, he will be released in a wildlife sanctuary, in Oddar Meanchey province, in the northern section of Cambodia, where some 600 Asian elephants live in peace and tranquility,” said a statement from Neth Pheaktra, a spokesman for the Environment Ministry. “Pachyderms can live for many years and even at 36, we hope that he will contribute to the gene pool.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

DON'T MISS

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

DON'T MISS

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

DON'T MISS

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

DON'T MISS

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

DON'T MISS

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

DON'T MISS

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

DON'T MISS

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

DON'T MISS

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

DON'T MISS

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

UP NEXT

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

UP NEXT

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other

UP NEXT

D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy to Mark 81st Anniversary of Landings

UP NEXT

Lambda Legal, a Nonprofit Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights, Exceeded Fundraising Goal by $105M

UP NEXT

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

UP NEXT

Trump: Putin Said Russia Would Respond to Ukraine Drone Attacks

UP NEXT

Mexico to Announce ‘Measures’ Next Week if No Deal on US Metals Tariffs

UP NEXT

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

UP NEXT

Fresno Animal Center to Offer Free Adoptions for California Adopt-a-Pet Day

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

3 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

3 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

4 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

5 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

5 hours ago

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

5 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

19 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

20 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

20 hours ago

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

21 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

PARIS — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner has not yet dropped a set in his bid to win the French Open for the first time. Defending champion Carlos A...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

3 hours ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

3 hours ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

3 hours ago

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

3 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

5 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

6 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

6 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend