ISLAMABAD: American singer Cher has said she could not wait to sing for Kaavan, an elephant who has caught international attention in recent years for his mistreatment at a Pakistani zoo and who will soon be moved to a wildlife reserve in Cambodia.
In May this year, a Pakistani court had ruled that Kaavan, 36, termed the ‘world’s loneliest elephant,’ would be moved to a sanctuary in Cambodia to live out the rest of his days. The court said all animals at Islamabad’s zoo must be set free or transferred to a better environment.
“Can’t wait to sing to him on way to Cambodia,” Cher tweeted. “I have two songs.”
AHHH
KAAVAN’S TRAVELING CRATE
& HOME WHEN HE GETS TO CAMBODIA. ITS LIKE A DOG CRATE. A VERY HUGE DOG CRATE. IN BEGINNING IT WILL MAKE HIM FEEL-SAFE & COMFORTABLE . CANT WAIT TO SING TO HIM ON WAY TO CAMBODIA.I HAVE TWO SONGS pic.twitter.com/SwQCO55veo— Cher (@cher) October 29, 2020
In a separate tweet replying to a fan, she said “I’ll be there,” hinting that she would be in Cambodia when Kaavan arrived.
In 2016, Cher had sent a representative to oversee improvements in Kaavan’s living conditions after she became aware of the elephant’s plight when pictures of him in chains with only a dilapidated shed for shelter and a small, dirty pond to play in spread on social media.
At that point, Kaavan had been kept chained for 27 of his 29 years at the Maraghazar Zoo in Islamabad. He has spent the last eight years alone after his companion elephant died.
Animal rights advocates have long raised concerns about conditions at Islamabad’s zoo, where dozens of animals including six lion cubs have died in the past four years.