Pointed bull hooks crashed into Kaavan’s side. Crowds had lined the fence of his enclosure to see Pakistan’s only Asian elephant and the sharp jab had meant he was called upon to perform for them.
A hand clutching money was raised in the air and the spectator agreed to exchange it with the dealers in exchange for Kaavan reaching out his trunk and taking it from their hands.
The bull hook jerked into his side again and the dejected creature raised its trunk and handed him the money that would line his handler’s pockets.
For 35 years, “the world’s loneliest elephant” had been tricked into performing in front of spectators from his wretched, baronial half-acre of land at Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo. Wounds on his legs had become infected, he had been chained and a poor diet made him dangerously obese.
Kaavan’s only companion died at the zoo in 2012 and the lonely elephant led a sad existence.
But after years of campaigning by animal rights activists, the world’s loneliest elephant was saved from his tragic life with the help of a legendary music icon. And similar to her 1998 hit, pop star Cher helped the elephant believe in life after love.
Kaavan was once dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant”. He is pictured at Marghazar Zoo, Islamabad, Pakistan before he was rescued
Pakistani caretaker looks at kaavan at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 31, 2016
Cher meets the “world’s loneliest elephant,” Kavaan, after she flew to Pakistan to help rescue him in November 2020
To turn back time, Kaavan was born in Sri Lanka in 1985 and began life at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage 60 miles (96 km) northeast of the capital, Colombo. The baby elephant is believed to have been a gift to the government of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq for supporting the Sri Lanka Army during an uprising.
The calf was brought to the relatively new Marguzar Zoo. But after opening seven years earlier, corruption had gripped the zoo and authorities didn’t care about the treatment of its residents.
The standards were poor, the enclosures were cramped and the food lacked nutrients.
Instead of caring for its animals, the zoo rented out its animals to parties hosted by influential locals.
Kaavan’s enclosure was incredibly compact, about half the size of a football field. It was also barren. There were no trees, plants, logs or anything that could provide entertainment for the little elephant.
Kavaan, Pakistan’s only Asian elephant, entered a crate to acclimate before traveling to a protected area in Cambodia at Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo on November 11, 2020
A team of veterinarians from the international animal welfare organization Four Paws briefs the media ahead of examining Kaavan at Maragzar Zoo, Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday September 4, 2020
For decades, Kaavan was made to entertain crowds that gathered around the fence around his enclosure. His mahout would poke him with the pointed bull hook and Kaavan would have to raise his trunk in the air and take money from the crowd to return to the handler.
In the 1990s, a female elephant named Saheli from Bangladesh came to Kaavan. She said to Kaavan, “I got you baby,” and the two became mates amidst the dire conditions.
Tragically, Saheli died in 2012. Her death was said to have been from sepsis, but the zoo claimed it was a heart attack given to her by the heat.
Just like humans, elephants are known to mourn death and will experience a similar period of mourning as humans. Kaavan grew lonely without his companion.
The elephant found it difficult to be strong enough and fell into a state of psychosis. He became increasingly angry and his caregivers decided to put him in chains. They also claimed he was dangerous and Kaavan lost all interaction. The loneliest elephant in the world was abandoned and had neither animal nor human company.
Kaavan is said to be active. He no longer explored the enclosure, was not interested in humans and was very overweight.
Kaavan in his enclosure in the sanctuary in Cambodia on December 2nd
Cher said she was “swept up” in a social media campaign to free the malnourished Asian elephant and house it in a sanctuary in Cambodia
In 2016, singer Cher discovered the misery and sad existence in which the elephant lived.
The plight of the “world’s loneliest elephant” had led to a social media campaign that caught Cher’s attention, and she decided to help Kaavan gain his freedom.
Cher said her fans’ persistence convinced her to help Kaavan, saying, “I actually never intended to do it, I just got carried away because the kids on my Twitter feed started sending me these pictures , and it was all ‘free Kaavan, free Kaavan’.
“And I looked at the pictures and they were horrible, but I was like, ‘There’s nothing I can do,’ so I didn’t answer them and I thought that eventually they would just stop.
“But they didn’t, so I started getting involved.”
Cher co-founded Free The Wild with partners Mark Cowne, Gina Nelthorpe Cowne, and Jennifer Ruiz, and the group hired a legal team to fight for Kaavan’s freedom.
She recorded the song Walls to kickstart the movement. Their efforts paid off when the Islamabad Supreme Court ordered Kaavan’s release in May 2020.
In cooperation with the international rescue organization Four Paws and the veterinarian Dr. Amir Khalil, the team found Kaavan a home in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia, where he could live out the rest of his years with everything that had been deprived of his entire life.
“Cher and The Loneliest Elephant,” a documentary released in 2021, told the story of the global campaign led by the singer-actress to free Kaavan
Cher first meets the animal ahead of the campaign documentary
Cher was swept up in the online campaign before flying to Pakistan to give the abused creature a life in freedom
Kaavan was then airlifted to his new home in Cambodia. But the obese and angry elephant, which had been starved of by any society for years, proved difficult to transport. The team sang to the elephant to calm him down, and he eventually got used to her voice.
dr Amir, a Four Paws veterinarian, said at the time: “Rescuing Kaavan was an extraordinary experience.
“We transferred an elephant from Pakistan to Cambodia during a global pandemic together with Cher, who helped with the rescue alongside the organization and national authorities.
“I am proud that we were part of this truly unique story.”
Following the success in placing Kaavan, Four Paws’ Martin Bauer said, “Thanks to Cher, but also to local Pakistani activists, Kaavan’s fate made headlines around the world and this helped ease his conviction.”
Even after his stay in Cambodia, Mr. Bauer said he would need physical and even psychological help for years to come.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court, meanwhile, has ordered the closure of the Marghazar Zoo in the capital, Islamabad, where Kaavan has lived most of his life.
Now, almost three years later, Kaavan is thriving at the Kulen Prum Tep Wildlife Sanctuary in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Officials from Four Paws International and game wardens place Kavaan, Pakistan’s only Asian elephant, in a crate before transporting him to a sanctuary in Cambodia at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad on November 29, 2020
Workers help transport Kavaan, Pakistan’s only Asian elephant, as it is transferred to Cambodia November 29, 2020 in Islamabad, Pakistan
Kaavan was airlifted from Pakistan to Siem Reap when she was given a new home in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia
Cher holds a license plate with her and Kaavan’s names as she awaits the elephants’ arrival in Cambodia on November 30, 2020
Kaavan collects branches in the wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia and lives the life he deserves
He was pictured splashing around and enjoying life again.
dr Amir said: “He has rediscovered his natural instincts and can enjoy having other elephants around.
“Kaavan is living the life he deserves. I look forward to visiting him as soon as possible to see for myself what a difference the past year has made.
“Although Kaavan has not yet been socialized with other elephants, the team at CWS is continuing to monitor his development and will determine if he is interested in a companion.
“Until then, neighboring enclosures allow the elephants to get used to each other’s scent and touch each other’s trunks, a friendly gesture.
35 years of captivity causes much trauma, but Kaavan makes great strides, roaming his sprawling jungle enclosure and enjoying baths in his pond.