Pak court allows relocation of zoo's elephant to Cambodian sanctuary

A Pakistani court has asked the government to relocate an elephant to a sanctuary in Cambodia after global animal rights groups launched a campaign highlighting that the pachyderm was chained and mistreated in a small zoo here.

A Pakistani court has asked the government to relocate an elephant to a sanctuary in Cambodia after global animal rights groups launched a campaign highlighting that the pachyderm was chained and mistreated in a small zoo here. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued the order on Saturday following petitions by animal rights activists to remove the elephant, Kaavan, from a small zoo in Islamabad after it showed erratic behavior.

Kaavan, the only elephant in the Pakistani capital, will be relocated to a 25,000-acre sanctuary in Cambodia that already houses elephants and is equipped with experts to have relocated and rehabilitated more than 80 elephants so far. Animal rights activists around the world campaigned for Kaavan's release, accusing Islamabad zookeepers of keeping him isolated, chained up, and not providing the large animal with proper shelter and relief during hot summer months.

Zoo officials have denied keeping Kaavan in chains and said his distress was due to him pining for a new mate. His previous one, Saheli, died in 2012. The World Wide Fund for Nature which was part of the campaign hailed the decision.

Pakistan's minister for climate change Mian Aslam Amin said the government would follow the decision of the court but did not give any timeline to send it to the new location. Kaavan was gifted by Sri Lanka in 1985 and it was a great source of attraction for children as well as adults in the zoo at the foothills of Margalla Hills.

Animal lovers were pained after reports surfaced that Kaavan was put in chains to avoid any untoward situation as the elephant was becoming aggressive at times.

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