Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Pakistan zoo begins mammoth makeover after lonely elephant moves to Cambodia

Pakistan zoo begins mammoth makeover after lonely elephant moves to Cambodia

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
One of the caretakers of Kaavan the elephant walks away from the animal’s former shed in the closed MarghazarZoo, located in the Margalla Hill National Park in Islamabad. AFP

Pakistan zoo begins mammoth makeover after lonely elephant moves to Cambodia

A rundown Pakistan zoo once home to what was dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” and notorious for housing animals in cramped concrete enclosures has launched an ambitious $7.5 million makeover plan.

Animal rights activists had campaigned against the plight of Islamabad Zoo’s biggest attraction – a 35-year-old bull named Kaavan, the last remaining Asian elephant in the country – who had lived alone since the death of his mate eight years earlier.

Kaavan was transferred to Cambodia late last year in a blaze of publicity after his plight caught the attention of US superstar Cher, who helped raise funds for the jumbo relocation.

While the elephant now has hundreds of acres to roam alongside dozens of companions in northern Cambodia, his last years in Pakistan were anything but tranquil.

Islamabad Zoo was bereft of any natural vegetation and many animals there developed classic caged behaviour, such as constant swaying or repetitive pacing.

Established in 1978 and eventually growing to 30 acres, keepers struggled to care for the zoo’s residents.

Conditions were so bad that a High Court judge last year ordered it closed, and every animal to be relocated – an exercise in itself that ended in tragedy.

Two lions died during their relocation when zookeepers attempted to pry them from their pen by setting ablaze piles of hay.

Pakistan’s climate change ministry has now taken charge of the zoo’s rehabilitation, with plans to establish a vastly improved conservation centre.

“We have temporarily shifted some 380 different animals – including monkeys, nilgai [antelope], zebras and bears – to different sanctuaries within and outside Pakistan,” said Waqar Zakriya of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.

“They will all be brought back – not to be kept in captivity but in a national park in a natural habitat.”

The centre will also include facilities to treat and rehabilitate injured indigenous wildlife – the first of its kind in the country.

The initiative was “brilliant and extraordinary”, said Rab Nawaz, the Director of World Wide Fund for Nature in Pakistan.

Mistreatment of animals – in zoos or for entertainment – is commonplace in Pakistan, but attitudes are changing.

Wildlife authorities are also pushing for new laws targeting poachers, who regularly trap and traffic birds, monkeys, and even black bears, said IWMB chairwoman RinaSaeed.

He looks very happy

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Kaavan in the concrete fence campus as he starts anew in Kulen Prum Tep Wildlife Sanctuaryin Cambodia. Hean Rangsey

Kaavan’s departure for happier pastures proved bittersweet for at least one man connected to the zoo – his last keeper, Imran Hussain.

Hussain was hired and specially trained last year when Kaavan’s plight became internationally known, but quickly formed a bond with his pachyderm pal.

“I feel something breaking inside me when I come to the zoo and see his empty cage,” he said.

“He used to welcome me with a loud trumpet and by raising up his trunk every morning. He would throw water over me to express his pleasure – and anger.”

Still, he knows the beast is now in a better place.

“I have seen video clips of Kaavan. he looks very happy,” he said.

“I pray to God for his long life.”

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one

  • Water supply authority assures public shortages over early ‘24

    The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) asked for understanding from Phnom Penh residents in some communes where water pressure is weak. They assured residents that all supply issues will be resolved by early 2024, but have suggested that residents use water sparingly in the meantime.

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Khmer ballet documentary debuts April 1

    A new documentary, The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hattha in Khmer, will premiere to the public on April 1. The documentary film follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the