Following years of public outcry and campaigning by American pop star Cher, the «world’s loneliest elephant» embarked Sunday on a mammoth move from Pakistan …
Following years of public outcry and campaigning by American pop star Cher, the «world’s loneliest elephant» embarked Sunday on a mammoth move from Pakistan to retirement in a Cambodian sanctuary. The famed singer and Oscar-winning actress has spent recent days at the Islamabad zoo to provide moral support to Kaavan — an overweight,36-year-old bull elephant — whose pitiful treatment at the dilapidated facility sparked an uproar from animal rights groups and a spirited social media campaign by Cher. «My wishes have finally come true», Cher said in a statement thanking her charity Free The Wild. «We have been counting down to this moment and dreaming of it for so long and to finally see Kaavan transported out of (the Islamabad) zoo will remain with us forever.» Kaavan’s case and the woeful conditions at the zoo resulted in a judge this year ordering all the animals to be moved. «Thanks to Cher and also to local Pakistani activists, Kaavan’s fate made headlines around the globe and this contributed to the facilitation of his transfer,» said Martin Bauer, a spokesman for Four Paws International — an animal welfare group that has spearheaded the relocation effort.
