Kaavan lands safely in Cambodia to start new life

Kaavan, the world’s “loneliest” elephant, touched down on Monday in Cambodia onboard a special Russian chartered cargo plane.

A special ceremony was held to greet the 35-year-old bull elephant upon arrival at the airport of Cambodia’s second-biggest city Siem Reap. American pop star Cher, who visited Islamabad to see the animal off, was also present on the occasion.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam tweeted photos of the ceremony held at the airport’s tarmac with a caption that reads: “Great to see #Kaavan land safely in #Cambodia.”

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

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

Four Paws, a global animal welfare organisation that played a key role in the pachyderm’s rescue, also shared pictures on an official Twitter handle saying, “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.”

#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 (@fourpawsint) November 30, 2020

Kaavan departed for Cambodia in the wee hours of Monday in a customs-made crate.

This was the first time an animal weighing 4.8 tonnes from Pakistan was taken abroad for health recovery. Initially, a 10-acre area would be given to the elephant in a Cambodia sanctuary where the animal could see other elephants.