Siem Reap, Cambodia-An elephant dubbed the \u201cworld\u2019s loneliest\u201d landed in Cambodia Monday from Pakistan, receiving a warm\u00a0welcome from American superstar Cher who will accompany him to a sanctuary housing potential mates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case of Kaavan — an overweight, 36-year-old bull elephant — sparked global uproar from animal rights groups, who petitioned for his move from an Islamabad zoo accused of substandard care and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His cause was boosted by a spirited social media campaign by Cher, who travelled to Pakistan to see him off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wearing a black face mask, the singer was on hand at Siem Reap airport and waved excitedly at the plane after it landed around 2:30 pm (0730 GMT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am so proud he is here,\u201d she told AFP, after greeting Kaavan through an opening at the base of the crate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to be really happy here,\u201d said Cher, adding that she is hopeful his ordeal is now over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaavan\u2019s much-anticipated journey was \u201cuneventful\u201d, said Amir Khalil, a veterinarian from animal welfare group Four Paws, adding he behaved \u201clike a frequent flyer\u201d. \u201cKaavan was eating, was not stressed — he was even a little bit sleeping, standing, leaning at the crate wall,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the sole Asian elephant in Pakistan, Kaavan will be transported from Siem Reap to neighbouring province Oddar Meanchey where a wildlife sanctuary with about 600 other elephants will be his new home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCambodia is pleased to welcome Kaavan. No longer will he be \u2018the world\u2019s loneliest elephant,\u2019\u201d deputy environment minister Neth Pheaktra said. \u201cWe expect to breed Kaavan with local elephants — this is an effort to conserve the genetic fold,\u201d the minister told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before he was transported to the sanctuary, monks offered him bananas and watermelon, chanting prayers and sprinkling holy water on his crate to bless him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years of campaigning <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaavan\u2019s journey is the culmination of years of campaigning from animal rights groups, who say the animal\u2019s behaviour in captivity demonstrated \u201ca kind of mental illness\u201d likely due to the zoo\u2019s woeful conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In May, a Pakistani judge ordered that all the animals at the zoo be moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon hearing about Kaavan\u2019s freedom, Cher had tweeted that the decision marked \u201cone of the greatest moments\u201d of her life. A team of vets and experts from Austria-based Four Paws has spent months working with Kaavan to get him ready for the trip — a complicated process due to his size and the amount of food needed en route. The elephant also had to be taught to enter the massive metal crate that was placed in a cargo plane for the seven-hour flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four Paws, along with Islamabad authorities, also safely moved three wolves and some monkeys from the zoo. Currently only two Himalayan brown bears, one deer and one monkey remain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Siem Reap, Cambodia-An elephant dubbed the \u201cworld\u2019s loneliest\u201d landed in Cambodia Monday from Pakistan, receiving a warm\u00a0welcome from American superstar Cher who will accompany him to a sanctuary housing potential mates. The case of Kaavan — an overweight, 36-year-old bull elephant — sparked global uproar […]<\/p>\n
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