Cher & the Loneliest Elephant

Narrator: HE'S CALLED THE WORLD'S LONELIEST ELEPHANT.

CAPTIVE FOR 35 YEARS IN A RUNDOWN ZOO.

Khan: YOU CAN JUST FEEL HIS GRIEF.

Cowne: STILL BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES NOW.

HE WAS A TOTALLY BROKEN ANIMAL.

Narrator: BUT WHEN A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

PLEAS TO FREE KAAVAN,

THE GODDESS OF POP TAKES NOTICE.

Cher: I WAS REALLY ANGRY.

Narrator: NOW AFTER A FIVE-YEAR CAMPAIGN,

HE HAS THE CHANCE FOR A BETTER LIFE.

Thompson: I WANT TO OFFER HIM AN ELEPHANT'S LIFE.

Narrator: BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT,

AND A PANDEMIC HAS THE WORLD IN LOCKDOWN.

IT'LL TAKE HUGE FAITH.

Dr. Amir: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

Narrator: AND AN ARMY OF PEOPLE...

TO MOVE AN UNPREDICTABLE ELEPHANT...

Dr. Amir: HE IS DANGEROUS, RISKY, IS A POWER MACHINE.

Narrator: THOUSANDS OF MILES.

Cowne: IT WAS PRETTY RISKY FOR HIM,

BUT VERY DANGEROUS FOR THE PEOPLE ONBOARD.

Narrator: CAN THE PASSION OF A SUPERSTAR

HELP TO SAVE HIM?

Cher: I WANTED TO FREE HIM.

I KNEW THAT WE HAD TO GET HIM OUT.

Dr. Amir: STOP, STOP, STOP!

Narrator: KAAVAN, A MAGNIFICENT BULL ELEPHANT,

HAS BEEN HELD IN PAKISTAN'S ISLAMABAD ZOO FOR 35 YEARS

IN PITIFUL CONDITIONS.

LIKE ANY BULL ELEPHANT, KAAVAN IS DANGEROUS

AND HAS KILLED TWO OF HIS KEEPERS.

IN 2012, HIS ONLY COMPANION DIES FROM NEGLECT.

CHAINED UP AND ALONE,

KAAVAN CAN'T EVEN WALK THE LENGTH OF HIS ENCLOSURE,

LET ALONE BATHE IN HIS DRIED-UP POOL.

BUT EVEN IN THIS SORRY STATE,

HE'S STILL THE ZOO'S STAR ATTRACTION.

THEN, IN 2015, A TRAINEE VET FROM AMERICA

VISITS THE ZOO ON A TRIP TO SEE HER PAKISTANI FAMILY.

Khan: HERE'S THIS SOLITARY ELEPHANT,

JUST IN THIS BARE SHED.

AND THAT WEAVING BEHAVIOR WHERE HE WAS JUST MOVING

BY HIMSELF BACK AND FORTH, THAT REALLY STRUCK ME.

Narrator: HIS WEIRD ROCKING AMUSES VISITORS,

WHO MISTAKENLY CALL KAAVAN "THE DANCING ELEPHANT".

BUT THANKS TO HER TRAINING,

SAMAR KNOWS THIS IS A SIGN OF TERRIBLE BOREDOM.

Khan: I KNEW ELEPHANTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE INCREDIBLY SOCIAL

AND INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT ANIMALS.

AND TO SEE HIM WITH NO SOURCE OF ENRICHMENT AT ALL.

I KNEW THAT THIS BEHAVIOR IS REALLY STEREOTYPIC BEHAVIOR

FOR ANIMALS WHO HAVE FACED SEVERE

EITHER MENTAL OR PHYSICAL NEGLECT.

Narrator: KAAVAN'S SWAYING INTENSIFIES

AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS FEMALE COMPANION SAHELI IN 2012.

Khan: FOR ME, ACTUALLY, THE MOST PIVOTAL MOMENT

WAS SEEING THIS PHOTO OF KAAVAN AND SAHELI

AFTER SHE HAD PASSED.

ELEPHANTS, THEY'RE LIKE THESE INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT

AND INCREDIBLY SOCIAL ANIMALS.

AND HE'S REACHING OUT TO SAHELI,

AND YOU CAN JUST FEEL HIS GRIEF.

I FOUND OUT THAT THE REASON WHY SAHELI PASSED

WAS BECAUSE OF GANGRENE FROM HER CHAINS,

AND THAT POOR FOOT CARE RESULTED IN HER DYING.

AND I KNEW KAAVAN NOW IS WEARING THOSE SAME CHAINS,

AND IF HE DOESN'T GET OUT,

THEN THE SAME THING IS GONNA HAPPEN TO HIM.

Narrator: AT 36 YEARS OLD, KAAVAN SHOULD BE IN HIS PRIME.

BUT HE'S A FAR CRY FROM THE ENDEARING CALF

THAT ARRIVED IN PAKISTAN IN 1985.

HE WAS ORIGINALLY A GIFT FROM SRI LANKA

TO PRESIDENT GENERAL ZIA'S 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.

BUT NOW, THE DELIGHT OF A YOUNG GIRL HAS BECOME A TRAGEDY.

SAMAR KHAN BECOMES DESPERATE TO SAVE HIM.

Khan: MY MOM REALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO ACT,

AND I OPENED UP A FACEBOOK PAGE

CALLED "FREE KAAVAN THE ELEPHANT".

Narrator: IN SEPTEMBER 2015,

SHE LAUNCHES HER CAMPAIGN TO FREE HIM...

AND FACEBOOK EXPLODES.

Khan: I WOKE UP AND MY PHONE WAS HOT TO THE TOUCH

'CAUSE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

WERE WRITING INTO THE PAGE, SIGNING THE PETITION.

Narrator: IN TORONTO, CANADA,

PAKISTANI EX-PAT ANIKA SLEEM ANSWERS THE CALL.

Sleem: FREE KAAVAN!

Narrator: ANIKA JOINS THE CRY

THAT'S BEEN GATHERING MOMENTUM ON TWITTER FOR MONTHS,

WHEN A SUPERSTAR WITH A PASSION FOR ANIMALS TAKES NOTICE.

Sleem: AND THEN ONE DAY AT MIDNIGHT, I OPEN MY TWITTER

AND I GET A TWEET FROM CHER...

SAYING, "JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH COOL BRITISH FRIEND.

ALIGNING PEOPLE TO FIX THIS."

IT WAS ACTUALLY CHER.

Cher: ALL THE KIDS ON MY TWITTER SITE

STARTED TO INUNDATE ME WITH "SAVE KAAVAN".

AND I THOUGHT, I CANNOT SAVE AN ELEPHANT IN PAKISTAN,

BECAUSE I HAVE NO STREET CRED.

HOW AM I GONNA DO THIS?

Narrator: SO CHER CONTACTS A FRIEND

WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH RELOCATING ELEPHANTS IN AFRICA.

Cher: I MET THIS MAN, MARK COWNE.

HE'S BOB GELDOF'S MANAGER.

AND HE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT ELEPHANTS

THAT HE'D SAVED IN SOUTH AFRICA.

AND SO I JUST CALL HIM, AND I SAY,

"WELL, THERE'S THIS ELEPHANT I WANT TO SAVE,

AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

AND HE SAID, "I'LL GO RIGHT AWAY."

Cowne: IT'S CHER!

SHE'S A GREAT FRIEND.

OF COURSE, I SAID YES.

Narrator: MARK COWNE RACES TO ISLAMABAD TO SEE KAAVAN.

Cowne: WHEN I FIRST MET KAAVAN, IT WAS SO SAD.

IT STILL BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES NOW.

HE WAS A TOTALLY BROKEN ANIMAL.

Cher: I SAW A PICTURE, AND THE PICTURE WAS SO HORRIBLE.

AND HE WAS SHACKLED.

AND IN THIS SHED...

CONSTANTLY.

AND I JUST...

I WAS PISSED OFF TOO.

I WAS REALLY ANGRY.

Narrator: MARK COWNE APPEALS TO THE ZOO OFFICIALS.

Cher: HE SAID, "TAKE HIS CHAINS OFF,

PUT WATER IN THE LITTLE POOL,

PUT A TOP ON THE SHED,

AND GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO PLAY WITH."

AND THEY DID IT.

Narrator: BUT THEIR OPTIMISM IS SHORT-LIVED.

BEYOND THESE SMALL CHANGES,

KAAVAN'S SITUATION DOESN'T IMPROVE FOR TWO MORE YEARS.

SO IN 2018, CHER LAUNCHES FREE THE WILD,

A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS.

SHE BEGINS A RELENTLESS TWITTER CAMPAIGN

TO PERSUADE THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE KAAVAN.

Cher: WELL, I DID THAT.

I TWEETED AND SAID I WOULD GET ON MY KNEES.

BUT THAT DIDN'T SEEM TO HELP.

Narrator: CHER EVEN RECORDS A SPECIAL SONG, "WALLS",

ABOUT THE LONELY ELEPHANT'S PLIGHT.

BUT NOTHING CHANGES FOR KAAVAN.

HIS DIET IS TERRIBLE.

HIS PEN IS SMALL AND SQUALID.

AND WORSE STILL...

HE'S ALONE.

ASIAN ELEPHANTS NATURALLY LIVE IN SMALL FAMILY HERDS

AND NEED THE FREEDOM TO ROAM.

Cher: THEY'RE SO SOCIAL, THEY'RE LIKE WE ARE.

THEY'RE JUST LIKE WE ARE. WE'RE VERY MUCH THE SAME.

THEY'RE SO FAMILY-ORIENTED AND THEY'RE SO EMOTIONAL.

Narrator: FEW ZOOS CAN PROPERLY CARE FOR ELEPHANTS.

BUT ISLAMABAD ZOO CONTINUES TO HANG ON

TO ITS STAR ATTRACTION.

IN 2020, A PASSIONATE YOUNG PAKISTANI LAWYER

TAKES THE ZOO TO COURT.

HE DEMANDS THAT KAAVAN'S RIGHTS AS AN ANIMAL BE RECOGNIZED

AND HE BE MOVED TO A BETTER FACILITY.

Swan: CHER, THROUGH FREE THE WILD,

WAS ONE OF THE PARTIES IN THE PETITION.

Narrator: TO EVERYONE'S SURPRISE, THEY SUCCEED.

Swan: OUR CASE BECAME ONE OF THE LANDMARK PRECEDENT

WHICH HAS RECOGNIZED ANIMAL RIGHTS FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF PAKISTAN.

Narrator: AND THEN, IN MAY 2020,

PAKISTAN'S HIGH COURT DELIVERS AN ASTONISHING JUDGMENT.

NOT ONLY MUST KAAVAN BE FREED,

BUT THE ENTIRE ZOO MUST CLOSE.

IT'S A LEGAL TRIUMPH BUT A LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE.

THE COURT RULES THAT KAAVAN AND ALL OTHER ANIMALS

MUST GO IN 30 DAYS.

BUT IT'S SUMMER 2020,

THE MIDST OF THE WORST GLOBAL EMERGENCY SINCE WORLD WAR II.

Cher: AND SO THEN I SAID, "DO WE REALLY WANT TO GO

TO ISLAMABAD DURING COVID?

THAT'S KIND OF NOT A GOOD IDEA. WE'RE GOING TO DIE."

AND WE JUST DECIDED, "OH, THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT

AS MUCH AS SAVING THIS ELEPHANT."

GO SAVE AN ELEPHANT IN ISLAMABAD

WAS LIKE THAT WAS WAY BEYOND MY JOB DESCRIPTION.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST HAVE FEELINGS,

AND WE HAVE TO BE RESPONSIVE.

Narrator: THE PANDEMIC BUYS EVERYONE SOME TIME,

WHILE FREE THE WILD DESPERATELY SEARCHES

FOR KAAVAN'S NEW HOME.

FREE THE WILD TURNS TO RENOWN ELEPHANT RESCUER LEK CHAILERT.

SHE CARES FOR 200 ELEPHANTS AT HER SANCTUARY IN THAILAND.

Narrator: LEK AND HER HUSBAND, DEREK THOMPSON,

OFFER KAAVAN A HOME AT A SISTER SANCTUARY IN CAMBODIA,

IF THE ZOO WILL RELEASE HIM.