He will be placed in an animal sanctuary in Cambodia and arrangement for travels are underway
Kaavan, the lonely Asian elephant present in the Marghazar Zoo, will be finally moved out to a sanctuary in Cambodia in November. The action is in line with the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) orders to move Kaavan from the zoo and moved to a proper sanctuary. IHC also ordered all other animals to be moved to out of the zoo until an internationally reputed organization can accredit it to be fit for housing animals.
Logistical Challenges
Four Paws, an animal’s rights organization, will be arranging the logistics to move Kaavan to Cambodia. Firstly, they need to arrange an aircraft that can carry the elephant. The aircraft will carry a special crate that is currently being made. The crate will be nine meters high and will have the ability to carry a weight of more than five tons. Four Paws already has been instrumental in ensuring Kaavan is fit to travel to the sanctuary and carried out a medical exam for the elephant in September. The elephant has some psychological problems along with being overweight and carrying a foot injury. However, he is fit enough to make the journey.
A gift from Sri Lanka
Pakistan does not have any Asian elephant of its own. Kaavan was a gift from the Sri Lankan High Commission to Pakistan in 1985. He also had a female companion called Saheli, who passed away in 2012. Often dubbed as the loneliest elephant in the world, Kaavan has been through a tough time since. His relocation to a specialized sanctuary and better care should help him live his remaining days in peace and tranquility.