Islamabad: Dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” Kaavan, an Asian bull elephant who suffered neglect in a Pakistani zoo for decades, has made friends in his new home at a Cambodian sanctuary, the secretary of state and spokesperson for the Cambodian environment ministry said in a Twitter post on Friday.
Kaavan arrived in northwest Cambodia’s Siem Reap province from Pakistan by a chartered plane on November 30 after spending nearly three decades in an Islamabad zoo.
“19 days after #Kaavan in #Cambodia, I come back to see him again. He has good health and socializing with 3 female elephants. Bravo!” Neth Pheaktra said in a tweet on Friday, with photos and selfies attached.
19 days after #Kaavan in #Cambodia, I come back to see him again. He has good health and socializing with 3 female elephants. Bravo! pic.twitter.com/GlZJa3zykm
— Neth Pheaktra (@pheaktraneth) December 18, 2020
In a separate tweet, with photographs of himself feeding Kaavan a carrot through the bars of his enclosure, he wrote: ” Kaavan, you have new life, new hope in Cambodia.”
The 36-year-old elephant lost his partner in 2012. He was diagnosed by veterinarians as both overweight and malnourished earlier this year, and also suffered behavioral issues.
The battle for his relocation which began in 2016, was picked up by international media and celebrities, most significantly singer Cher, who had been campaigning for his release to the sanctuary.
