Pakistan’s only Asian elephant packs trunk

But before flying out, the capital's animal lovers said goodbye, with performances from local bands who serenaded Kaavan ahead of the mammoth move.

Islamabad: With music, treats and balloons, friends of Pakistan’s only Asian elephant threw a farewell party for the creature ahead of its relocation to Cambodia following years of campaigning by animal rights activists. The plight of Kaavan, an overweight, 35-year-old bull elephant, has drawn international condemnation and highlighted the woeful state of Islamabad’s zoo, where conditions are so bad that a judge in May ordered all the animals to be moved.

Kaavan is set to be flown to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia on Sunday, said Saleem Shaikh, a spokesman for Pakistan’s ministry of climate change, following months of veterinary care and a special training regime to habituate the elephant to a huge metal crate he will travel in. But before flying out, the capital’s animal lovers said goodbye, with performances from local bands who serenaded Kaavan ahead of the mammoth move.

“We want to wish him a happy retirement,” said Marion Lombard, the deputy mission leader for Four Paws International — an animal welfare group that has spearheaded the relocation effort. The Islamabad Zoo, where Kaavan has lived for decades since arriving from Sri Lanka, was decorated with balloons for the occasion and banners wishing the animal well. “We will miss you Kaavan,” read one of the signs.