Cher rescues 'world's loneliest elephant' from closed down zoo
Cher rescued an elephant that had been living alone in terrible conditions in a zoo and got him a new home in a sanctuary with other elephants
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Cher has rescued the "world's loneliest" elephant from a closed down zoo and secured his place in a sanctuary.
The Shoop Shoop Song singer, 74, met the Asian bull elephant, named Kaavan, at a zoo in Pakistan, and had been fighting for his release from captivity.
She even flew to Pakistan to meet with the country’'s Prime Minister in order to find the elephant a new home.
Now Kaavan can roam freely at the 25,000 acre Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Kaavan had been in captivity at Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad for 35 years, and in 2012 he lost his female partner elephant.
Vets said he had become both overweight and malnourished.
He had been forced to entertain crowds while kept in captivity while being prodded with bull hooks by his handlers.
Kaavan lived in a small enclosure and was left alone when the partner he had lived with died.
Elephants form strong bonds with their companions and mourn them when they die.
The poor conditions at the zoo led to it getting shut down by a judge who ruled that all the animals had to be moved.
Cher then campaigned to find Kaavan a new home where he could live with other elephants.
Last week she took to Twitter to share the news that she'd met with Prime Minister Imran Kahn and that Kaavan would be moved to a sanctuary.
She tweeted: "Just came from meeting to thank Prime Minister Imran Kahn for making It possible for me to take Kaavan to Cambodia."
MirrorCeleb