Can you imagine being lonely for 8 years without any contact and then meeting someone who looks just like you? What an exciting day. This happened to Kavaan, an elephant born in Sri Lanka and then given as a gift to Pakistan in 1985. He was a gift to cement the closeness between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Kavaan spent most of his day alone, in isolation when in 1990, he was joined by an elephant named Saheli, who was brought from Bangladesh. The elephant duo had a great time together, up until 2012, when unfortunately, Saheli died. Poor Kavaan was left all alone again.
Kavaan spent most of his time in chains and in poor conditions and that caused people to make a campaign in order to free Kavaan. In November, Kavaan got a second chance in life and started the process of transportation to Cambodia. He even got a farewell party, attended by musician Cher, who let the campaign to free him.
Kavaan arrived in Cambodia and his friend Cher was there to welcome him into his new home. A few days later, Kavaan was seen touching trunks with another elephant which meant that Kavaan had his first contact with another elephant in 8 years. It was a huge moment for Kavaan, leaving loneliness behind and meeting someone from his own species.
He will finally have a chance to live a peaceful life and a chance for a bright future.
Once the elephant adjusts to the controlled setting, he will be released into a wider sanctuary where there are 3 female elephants.
The environment ministry official explains that the plan is to breed Kavaan with local elephants to preserve the genetic fold.