Kaavan, once called the world’s loneliest elephant, finally makes a friend. The elephant, who was the only Asian elephants at Islamabad’s zoo that was abandoned.
Authorities have saved him from living in such a dire situation, with the support of a musician and actress from the United States, Cher.
Kaavan, the 36-year-old bull elephant arrived at the Cambodian sanctuary, Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday (Nov. 30), the people celebrating his welcome including Cher herself.
The next day, Dec. 1, Kaavan, who is finally settling in his enclosure, is seen touching his trunks with another elephant that also resides in the Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The first contact with an elephant in eight years — this is a huge moment for Kaavan,” said Martin Bauer, a spokesman with the Austria-based group that worked for months to get him ready for the flight.
“Kaavan will finally have the chance to live a species-appropriate and peaceful life,” Bauer said, adding that the entire team was extremely moved to witness the interaction.
“He has a very bright future ahead of him.”
Kaavan has been abandoned his whole life, with little to no way to live his natural life when he was stuck in Pakistan. All his years, he’s spent his time pacing back and forth, standing still and leaning against walls – a behavior that shows signs of depression in animals.
Now, he’s exploring more, sniffing things out of curiosity, and playing in the mud and water – he seems to really like it there.
“He likes it here… The stereotypical behaviors that he’s known for — rocking or just standing, leaning his head against a wall — is non-existent,” Darrick Thomson, who oversees animal care at the sanctuary, told AFP.
“One girl came and met him this morning. There was a brief curiosity and then she ran away,” Thomson added, recalling a recent event that happened.
Kaavan will be released to a wider, more spacious sanctuary after he has adjusted himself to a scheduled, managed one. In the wider sanctuary, there will be three female elephants, an environment ministry official said on Monday.
Kaavan will be able to procreate and conserve his genetic fold that would later create other breeds and more diversity.
The zoo in Islamabad was accused by activists to have all the animals relocated and out of the zoo’s hands, as they were suspected to have chained and giving lack of care and shelter to Kaavan and the rest of the animals there.
Source: The Hindu