It’s been a big week for Kavaan the ‘loneliest elephant’. After spending decades living in poor conditions in a Pakistan zoo, he’s reached the lush sanctuary where he’ll spend the rest of his days. And he’s already made a a new buddy.

FOUR PAWS

Earlier this year, GNN reported that Kavaan was ordered by Pakistan’s High Court to be freed from Islamabad’s Murghazar Zoo, which is in the process of being permanently shut down.

There were many groups and people fighting for the elephant’s release, including, most famously, Cher, who celebrated Kavaan’s win, tweeting, “THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE.”

Since that May ruling, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has been working behind the scenes to find the lonely elephant an ideal home. They found the perfect site in Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary.

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In a rescue led by the animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS, alongside IWMB and Cher’s Free The Wild organization, veterinarians and elephant experts have been busy preparing Kaavan for his departure to a new location.

FOUR PAWS

For weeks, the team has been helping Kavaan learn how to make a stress-free entry and exit into and out of an air-shipment crate. Given the male elephant weighs 4.35 tons, that’s been no easy task.

This weekend, though, Kavaan was finally ready for his departure. With a military escort, the pachyderm was taken to Islamabad International Airport and onto a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. After a stopover in India, he made the 10-hour flight to a new country, arriving at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary in the capital of Siem Reap on Monday.

Since he’s been there?

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Kaavan has left his transport crate and enjoyed a warm welcome with a fruitcake and a banana tree leaves trail made just for him.

After eight years with no animal friends, he’s made his first integration with another elephant.

He’s met one of his biggest supporters.

FOUR PAWS

That’d be Cher, who tweeted that she sang to relax him.

In around a month, Kavaan will be introduced to three female elephants, and he’ll have 25,000 acres to roam in. That’s an area 50,000x bigger than the zoo enclosure he was confined to until the court ruling helped set him free. 

With Kaavan’s years of isolation finally at an end, FOUR PAWS says he’ll finally have the chance to live a species-appropriate and peaceful life.

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