Kaavan

Kaavan (Urdu: کاون‎; born 1985) is a male Asian elephant. Since its birth, the elephant has spent most of his lifetime at the Islamabad Zoo in Pakistan.[1] Kaavan was gifted by the government of Sri Lanka to the government of Pakistan in 1985 as a result of the positive relationship between the two countries. On 21 May 2020, the Islamabad High Court ordered that the elephant should be immediately relocated to a different sanctuary following a four-year campaign by pop singer Cher, who has since 2016 been demanding for Kaavan's release from the zoo.[2][3] Kaavan is one of the few captive elephants to live in Pakistan.

Kaavan
SpeciesAsian elephant
SexMale
Born1985
Years active1985—2020 in captivity

Biography

Kaavan was born in Sri Lanka in 1985, and upon his birth, the Sri Lankan government gifted him to then-president of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq.[4] The elephant was kept at the Islamabad Zoo and remained as the only Asian elephant living in Pakistan.[5] An elephant named Saheli was brought from Bangladesh in 1990 and remained as Kaavan's partner until its death in 2012. Kaavan was temporarily chained by zookeepers in 2002 after concerns regarding violent behaviour on the elephant's part.[2]

Campaign to free Kaavan

In 2015, a petition was signed by many people demanding Kaavan's release, and the petition was reportedly sent to zoo authorities and to then-Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif.

In September 2016, a news report highlighted the dire condition in which Kaavan was living, including being bound in chains for over two decades.[6] The zoo consequently decided to send the elephant to Cambodia.[7] In the same month, pictures of Kaavan living alone and in chains went viral on the internet and caught the attention of popular American pop singer Cher.[8] The treatment of the elephant by zoo officials spawned global international attention. Animal rights activists criticised the zoo officials for chaining up the animal but these allegations were denied.

Cher initiated a campaign called #SaveKavaan on social media.[9] Another petition also circulated in 2016 and it was supported by over 200,000 people.[10] The campaign also reported that the elephant was locked up in a small enclosure without adequate breathing space and with only a small pool of water in usual 40-degree summer temperatures.[11]

On 21 May 2020, the Islamabad High Court took up the case during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and handed down the verdict that Kaavan should be freed, ordering the wildlife officials to consult with Sri Lankan authorities to find a suitable sanctuary for Kaavan in another country within 30 days.[12][13] The court also criticised the zoo officials for failing to meet the animal's needs in terms of the violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1890 and Wildlife Ordinance of 1979.[14]

Cher thanked the Islamabad High Court and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for the verdict.[15][16] She tweeted that "We have just heard from the Pakistan High Court that Kaavan is Free. This is the Greatest moment of my life".[17][18]

On 17 July 2020, Free The Wild announced that the Pakistan Government had ruled that FTW had their consent to relocate Kaavan to Lek’s sanctuary in Cambodia – "a place we have personally visited and vetted and are delighted for Kaavan to call home".[19]

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References
  1. "Freedom for Kaavan". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  2. "Pakistan to free elephant Kaavan after campaign by US singer Cher". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  3. "Pakistan to free elephant Kaavan after campaign by US singer Cher | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  4. "Kaavan the Elephant Has Been in a Pakistani Zoo Since 1985 – Now He Has a Chance to Get Out". One Green Planet. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  5. "Last elephant standing". Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  6. "Islamabad zoo | Pakistan Today". Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  7. "Islamabad: Zoo authorities suggest to send Kaavan to Cambodia - Pakistan". Dunya News. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  8. Abbasi, Kashif (2016-06-17). "American singer Cher checks up on Kaavan, her adopted elephant in Islamabad". Images. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  9. "Help Free Kaavan, the Sick Zoo Elephant Who's Been Alone in Chains For 28 Years!". One Green Planet. 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  10. Jul 8, Ahmedabad Mirror | Updated:; 2016; Ist, 02:00. "Kaavan, Pakistan's lonely elephant". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 2020-05-24.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "Lonely Sri Lankan Elephant Kaavan, to be released from Islamabad zoo under court order". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  12. Iqbal, Nasir (2020-05-22). "IHC wants Kaavan to be relocated to appropriate sanctuary". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  13. NEWSWIRE), The Nonhuman Rights Project (GLOBE. "Islamabad High Court Recognizes the Rights of Nonhuman Animals". TylerPaper.com. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  14. Editorial (2020-05-24). "Saving the elephant". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  15. correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia (2020-05-22). "Cher sheds tears of joy as Pakistan's loneliest elephant wins freedom". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  16. Post, The Jakarta. "Cher tweets joy as Pakistan agrees to free lonely elephant Kaavan". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  17. "Sri Lanka : Cher thanks Pakistan for freeing the lonely Sri Lankan elephant Kavan". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  18. "Cher overjoyed as Pakistan agrees to free lonely elephant Kaavan". South China Morning Post. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  19. "Kaavan Set To Retire To Cambodian Elephant Sanctuary". freethewild.org. 2020-07-17.
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