'World's Loneliest Elephant' Kept Chained For 35 Years Finally Freed From Zoo And Offered New Home

Oct 15, 2020

Kaavan is a male elephant who has endured neglect and mistreatment for the last 35 years. He was ferried to Pakistan in 1985 as a gift, where he lived with his mate, Saheli.

However, Saheli passed on in 2012, leaving Kaavan in dire isolation in Maraghazar zoo. After years of lobbying for Kaavan's release, he is now finally given permission to locate to a suitable new home by a high court order. 

There were always concerns that Kaavan was being mistreated, neglected, and lived in squalor, reports The Guardian. The dire conditions of the zoo in Islamabad attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of people, activists, and celebrities around the world.

Maraghazar zoo administrators continued to maintain that Kaavan was no longer in chains and that Kaavan's behavior came from pining for a new mate after his old mate, Saheli, died in 2012. Activists have lobbied for Kaavan's release since 2016. 

According to Deutsche Welle, Pakistan's Wildlife Foundation’s vice-chairperson, Safwan Shahab Ahmad, reported that the elephant demonstrated signs of mental illness in 2016, such as swinging and bobbling his head for hours at a time. 

Last May, a high court in Islamabad ordered for Kaavan's freedom and tasked wildlife officials to come up with a "suitable sanctuary". After discussions, a panel of experts recommended that Kaavan be moved to a 25,000-acre site in Cambodia. 

The ruling in May also included Pakistani judges ordering for the relocation of dozens of animals from the Marghazar zoo because of its abysmal conditions, which were blamed on systemic negligence.

Kaavan underwent a medical examination at the zoo in August, reports The Guardian. Reports said that he shows signs of malnutrition, and is overweight from being kept in a small enclosure with little movement for over 3 decades. He also has cracked nails that have been overgrown from years of living in an unsuitable flooring that has also damaged his feet. 

While he has physical wounds that need to be healed, his emotional and mental wounds might be harder to overcome, says Martin Bauer, a spokesperson for Four Paws, an animal welfare organization. 

The Four Paws team that carried out Kaavan’s physical included wildlife veterinarians and experts. Kaavan has been cleared to travel, and is set to leave for Cambodia in late November according to Gulf News. 

Kaavan arrived in Islamabad in 1985 as a young calf. He was reported to be chained in 2002 due to violent behavior, and even though zoo officials said he had been freed later on, they apparently returned to this practice once again. 

Here is to wishing Kaavan a speedy recovery, and a better life ahead. 

It is great to have a happy ending to such a story. Animals deserve love and care, just like humans. Human beings should treat animals with love, and they will reciprocate. You could consider passing this word around to create awareness for everyone to learn through Kaavan’s experience.