American pop singer Cher opened up and revealed how she ended up campaigning for and working towards freeing the ‘world’s loneliest elephant’ Kaavan.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Cher said, “I didn’t plan to at all. These kids on my Twitter feed started sending this thing and it was ‘Free Kaavan’, and I thought if I will not answer, they’ll stop but they didn’t and it was in Pakistan and then I thought that I’m just an entertainer, how am I gonna go to Pakistan and free an elephant. “
“We had to work through two administrations and when [PM] Imran came in, everything got much easier,” she remarked.
Read more – Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’
She also said that she worked on the cause for three years.
“As we started doing it, I wasn’t going to give up. So, we went to Pakistan and we saw him, he was beautiful,” said Cher. “We started meeting Pakistani people and they were so nice to me.”
She added: “So, then he landed and we were so excited and after a five hours drive to the sanctuary and I could see him walking around, taking a dirt bath and talking to the girls.”
Cher has proven that she is a star in the best possible way. She worked towards freeing Kaavan, who had been named ‘the world’s loneliest animal,’ after his partner Saheli passed away in 2012. Kaavan was kept in Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo for 35 years and had been chained after zookeepers complained that he exhibited violent behaviour.
He caught Cher’s attention in 2016, who then fought a long legal battle for his release and transfer.
He was airlifted from Islamabad to Cambodia in a Russian cargo plane and before his departure, Cher visited Pakistan to see him off. She also sang A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes to soothe his nerves.
Later, she also arrived in Cambodia to receive Kaavan and ensure that he settles well in his new home.
