Kaavan, elephant from Islamabad zoo -

Anjum Naveed / AP / SIPA

After years of abuse in a zoo in Islamabad and a campaign led by American singer Cher, the elephant Kaavan was preparing to be transferred to a reserve in Cambodia on Sunday.

The famous singer arrived in Islamabad last week to be with the obese 35-year-old pachyderm who was being abused, sparking a fierce fight from Pakistani animal rights activists backed by Cher.

Singer Cher personally involved

The case of Kaavan and the deplorable state of the zoo in the Pakistani capital led a magistrate to order this year that all animals be transferred there.

"Thanks to Cher and also to Pakistani activists, Kaavan's plight made headlines around the world and this helped facilitate his transfer," said Martin Bauer, a spokesperson for Four Paws, the Austrian organization. protection of animals that helped rescue the elephant.

Cher "enjoys a huge following, so we really appreciated everything she has done for Kaavan since 2016".

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Dubbed the loneliest elephant in the world

Dubbed the world's loneliest elephant by the press, it is the only Asian elephant in Pakistan - the others, few in number, are African pachyderms.

Cher, who has financially contributed to this transfer, must fly to Cambodia on Sunday to be in the country when the elephant arrives.

Prime Minister Imran Khan met with the 74-year-old star this week to personally thank her.

A team of vets and groomers from Four Paws spent months with him preparing him for his trip.

In particular, they trained him to enter the metal box that will be loaded into a cargo plane.

The flight is expected to last seven hours.

Questions about his mental health

The zoo administration has in the past denied that the animal was mistreated, saying it was simply waiting to find a new companion, after the death of Saheli, killed by gangrene in 2012.

But international experts have observed stereotypical behavior in Kaavan - he often only turns his head and trunk side to side for hours on end - that has raised questions about his sanity.

All over Pakistan, zoos are distinguished by their poor facilities and poor animal care.

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