Cher welcomes Kaavan as he arrives in Cambodia

Popularly referred to as the world’s loneliest elephant, Islamabad Zoo’s Kavaan arrived in Cambodia by cargo plane on Monday to start a new life with fellow pachyderms at a local sanctuary, the culmination of years of campaigning for his transfer by American singer Cher.

According to details, Cher was on the tarmac at the airport of Cambodia’s second-biggest city Siem Reap to greet Kaavan and was photographed in sunglasses, black face mask and white jacket meeting the vets who accompanied the elephant, who made the long journey in a custom-made crate.

Animal rescue organisation Four Paws said Kaavan had another 90-minute drive ahead and would likely arrive at the sanctuary after nightfall, so he would be released in daylight on Tuesday.

#FreeKaavan 🐘: Kaavan arrived! ✈️
Last night the loneliest elephant in the world was loaded on an airplane in Islamabad. Together with the team on-site, Dr Frank Goeritz and Dr Amir Khalil were right by his side throughout the whole trip. pic.twitter.com/b1745OQFsi

— FOUR PAWS International (@fourpawsint) November 30, 2020

“Kaavan was eating, was not stressed, he was even a little bit sleeping, standing leaning at the crate wall. He behaves like a frequent flyer,” said Kavaan’s best friend vet Dr Amir Khalil.

“The flight was uneventful, which is all you can ask for when you transfer an elephant,” he added.

Our partner NGO @ftwglobal and US-superstar @cher were awaiting the elephant in Cambodia.
What an exciting day for us all… 💛

— FOUR PAWS International (@fourpawsint) November 30, 2020

The organisation also shared a video of Kaavan “up in the air”.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam also shared pictures of Kaavan’s arrival on social media.

Great to see #Kaavan land safely in #Cambodia pic.twitter.com/FZ2uKblyfJ

— Malik Amin Aslam (@aminattock) November 30, 2020

Cher, who has long campaigned for Kaavan’s release, had spent the last few days with him in Pakistan. The multi-award-winning singer has been with a film crew documenting Kaavan’s story and said she was proud to be part of an effort to free an elephant she said had been shackled to a shed for 17 years.

Dozens of wildlife workers and experts led by Four Paws used a winch and rope to pull the sedated elephant into the crate before he was loaded onto the Russian-built cargo plane. A 10-member medical team also accompanied the 36-year-old elephant on his journey.

Kaavan’s handlers took more than 200 kg of food including bananas and melons to keep him busy on his journey.