A lonely elephant that was kept in horrible conditions at a zoo in Pakistan has finally been rescued after being forced to live in a tiny enclosure for decades.

Kaavan is a 35-year-old bull elephant whose story has gone viral all around the world after the horrible truth about the zoo it was kept in came to light.

The elephant was reportedly living in a tiny enclosure at Islamabad zoo in Pakistan where he had little space to move for long 35 years. While Kaavan was living together with his elephant partner Saheli, things took a turn for the worse when she died in 2012.

Following Saheli’s death, Kaavan started suffering from behavioral issues caused by loneliness. After he had also become more aggressive towards his carers, the elephant was put on a short leash, meaning he had even less space to walk around than before.

Fortunately, after a four-year-long campaign to rescue the animal and a judge’s order to close the zoo, Kaavan has been approved for transfer to a sanctuary in Cambodia.

As Pakistani officials now also confirmed, the gentle giant is scheduled to be airlifted to his new home this Sunday.

Before the 35-year-old elephant was allowed to take on the life-changing journey, experts had to make sure he was prepared for travel in a metal cage.

“We want to wish him a happy retirement,” Marion Lombard of Four Paws International, an international animal welfare organization behind Kaavan’s rescue, expressed.

As Four Paws’ Martin Bauer previously explained, the elephant’s recovery will be long and hard because the animal is suffering from behavioral issues caused by loneliness.

As the medical examination of Kaavan revealed, he showed signs of malnutrition despite being overweight. In addition, the poor elephant faced a series of physical health problems, including overgrown and cracked nails, caused by living in a tiny enclosure for years.

“He also developed stereotypical behavior, which means he shakes his head back and forth for hours. This is mainly because he is simply bored,” Bauer explained.

Following decades of horrible conditions, the zoo is finally closing down and Kaavan has been prepared for his new life in Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary.

To make sure that the animal will suffer as little as possible during air transport, Kaavan will be accompanied by a team of vets and animal handlers.

“The team is very experienced and conditions for his recovery are very good. He will be able to form a group with other elephants and actually live in a vast area of his natural habitat,” Dr. Amir Khalil, the project development head at Four Paws International, said.

“Contact with other elephants will help him establish his position within his new family group and also gain more self-confidence.”

 

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