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The case of Kaavan – a 36-year-old overweight elephant – has caused controversy among animal advocacy groups, who have asked for his transfer from an Islamabad zoo, accused of offering poor conditions and care.
The cause was promoted in a social media campaign by singer Cher, who traveled to Pakistan.
Wearing a black mask, Cher was seen at Siem Reap Airport in northwest Cambodia and cheered after the plane landed.
Kaavan’s long-awaited trip went “without incident,” said Amir Khali, veterinarian of the Four Paws animal welfare group, adding that he behaved “like a frequent traveler.”
“Kaavan ate, he wasn’t stressed. He was also a bit asleep, standing, leaning against the cage wall,” he said.
The animal will be transported from Siem Reap to the nearby province of Oddar Meanchey, where it will be welcomed by a wildlife sanctuary with another 600 elephants.
Known as “the loneliest elephant in the world”, he lived in very precarious conditions in the center of the Pakistani capital.
“Cambodia is delighted to welcome Kaavan. He will no longer be the loneliest elephant in the world,” Deputy Environment Minister Neth Pheaktra told AFP.
Kaavan was the only Asian elephant in Pakistan. The others, very few, were African pachyderms.
The zoo’s administration denied that the animal had been mistreated and believed that its condition was due to the fact that it was expecting a new mate after Saheli’s death. The latter died of gangrene in 2012.
International experts noted that Kaavan exhibited stereotypical behavior: he often just turned his head and torso from side to side for hours, which raised questions about his mental health.
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