CAMBODIA: A documentary on Kavaan’s journey from being the world’s loneliest elephant to freedom in Cambodia scheduled to release on on April 22.
Kavalan’s journey has been captured on camera and will be seen in a documentary by Cher titled Cher and the Loneliest Elephant.
American singer and celebrity Cher, through the film, will be taking viewers along for “a touching journey about humans, animals, and our connection to all living beings on earth”.
In Cher and the Loneliest Elephant, the signer travels to Pakistan to rescue Kaavan, an elephant who’s been neglected and living alone for years. The Smithsonian Channel documentary follows Cher as she teams up with animal experts and veterinarians to help transport Kaavan from a shed in Islamabad, where he’s been kept in chains for almost two decades, to a new home in Cambodia.
Talking about the film, Cher said, “I saw all the people being affected by it all over the world. People want a happy ending. People don’t want to see animals suffer. And I know people are suffering too, but this is a story that can brighten their lives.”
The film also features a brand new track by the singer titled Walls to highlight Kavaan’s story.
A 36-year-old bull elephant Kaavan had tentatively greeted a fellow inhabitant of the Cambodian sanctuary where he is beginning his new life after being rescued from grim conditions in the Islamabad Zoo on November 28, 2020.
The elephant — dubbed the “world’s loneliest” — was the sole Asian elephant at his previous dilapidated home. Animal rights groups launched a campaign to save him from the substandard conditions there, boosted by spirited social media support from US actress and musician Cher.
Kaavan the elephant touches trunks with another elephant at a sanctuary in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia. Martin Bauer, a spokesman with the Austria-based group that worked for months to get him ready for the flight said, “The first contact with an elephant in eight years — this is a huge moment for Kaavan.”
Kavaan arrived in Pakistan in 1985 as a presidential gift from the Sri Lankan government. In 2002, the animal was put in chains by the zoo administration due to its aggressive behavior. The chains were removed around five years ago following public outcry.
Activists around the world campaigned for Kaavan’s release accusing Islamabad zookeepers of keeping him isolated, chained up, and not providing the large animal with proper shelter and relief during hot summer months.
On November 27, Prime Minister Imran Khan had admired the efforts of famous American singer and celebrity Cher to transfer Kaavan, the country’s only Asian elephant to Cambodia.
The singer, who had for years campaigned for Kaavan the elephant and is helping pay for his move from Pakistan, arrived in Islamabad this week and called on Premier Imran on 27 November.
US celebrity singer @cher called on Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI at Islamabad today.
Appreciating her efforts in retiring #Kaavan to an elephant sanctuary, the Prime Minister thanked Cher for her campaign and role in this regard. pic.twitter.com/eIhmRc4KHW
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) November 27, 2020
