The Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary is a joint project of the NGO of the same name and the Cambodian government with the participation of other nature and animal protection organizations such as the Save Elephant Foundation. It is located in northern Cambodia on the edge of the Kulen Prompted Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest nature reserves in the country.
In addition to protecting and reforesting the rainforest and combating illegal logging and poaching, the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary offers rescued wild animals a safe home. The two elephant cows Di-Ploh and Sarai Mia as well as the young elephant bull Kavaan, once known as “the loneliest elephant in the world”, who was rescued from a zoo in Pakistan in 2020, have also enjoyed this sanctuary for several years.
Kavaan
The bull elephant Kavaan was born in the wilderness of Sri Lanka in 1985. He was captured when he was just one year old and given to Pakistan as a gift by the Sri Lankan government. His new home was the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, where he had to endure an undignified existence for more than two decades. In 1990, the zoo received a
companion for Kavaan in the form of the elephant cow Saheli from Bangladesh. After her death in 2012, the bull elephant became the last living Asian elephant in Pakistan and gained worldwide notoriety as the “loneliest elephant in the world”.
In 2015, the American vet Samar Khan visited the zoo and was shocked by Kavaan’s condition and living conditions. She started a petition, which also attracted the attention of the famous US pop singer Cher. With the support of numerous animal rights activists, Cher campaigned for Kavaan’s release for the next five years. Meanwhile, a report was published in September 2017 that revealed the appalling conditions in which the elephant was kept at the zoo: Kavaan had been chained up for over 20 years.
In May 2020, the Islamabad High Court ordered Kavaan’s immediate release and placement in the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ruling could only be implemented six months later, at the end of November 2020. Since then, the jungle of the CWS has been Kavaan’s new home, where he now experiences true freedom, love and care.
Di-Ploh
Information will follow shortly.
Sarai Mia
Information will follow shortly.
In addition to making a donation or taking out a sponsorship, you also have the opportunity to treat one or more elephants to a lovingly prepared extra fruit buffet or a truck full of melons or bananas.
