Kaavan, the lone elephant of Islamabad Zoo, gets a farewell party

Kaavan, the lone elephant of Islamabad Zoo, gets a farewell party!

36-year-old Kaavan is being relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia for retirement.

Kaavan is set to fly to Cambodia on November 29 on a Russian cargo plane, specially chartered for his transportation.

A farewell party was organized for Kavaan at the Islamabad zoo with a full protocol on November 23,  with many officials including the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi in attendance.

The party also featured performances by Haroon, Natasha Baig, Khumaariyan, and Arieb Azhar.

The attendees of the event took to social media to share their views on Kaavan’s departure to Cambodia.

On his Twitter handle, President Dr. Arif Alvi shared: “Retirement of Kaavan to Cambodia is a result of consideration of the feelings of animals. Mohd bin Musa Al-Damiri wrote a book (Hayat al Haywan) in the 14th century.

Senator Faisal Javed shared, “Sorry & Farewell to Kaavan! As our dearest (from childhood) is off to Cambodia. Prev Govts didn’t pay any attention in making sanctuaries or national parks & we are sorry for the way we treated Kavaan”, in a series of tweets.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said, “Farewell and good luck. A sad but correct decision to let #Kaavan – the elephant #Islamabad has loved for over 35 years – retire to a world-class elephant sanctuary in #Cambodia”.

The lone elephant’s retirement was made possible after spending 35-years in a zoo at the federal capital as the Islamabad High Court in May this year ruled that the Margazhar Zoo is not fit for animals.

The funds for the relocation of the elephant from Pakistan to Cambodia have been raised by Four Paws International, the global animal welfare organisation in collaboration with another animals’ rights group, Free the Wild.