This Is How Cher Saved The "World's Loneliest Elephant" Kaavan

Singer, actor and television personality Cher said that social media led her on a mission to save the “world’s loneliest elephant”.

Cher organized a global campaign to free a four-ton malnourished Asian elephant named Kaavan. The elephant had spent nearly 20 years chained up in Pakistan. The poor living conditions for Kaavan lead to dire health problems, including obesity, before his only mate passed away due to neglect.

A social media campaign about Kaavan’s plight caught her attention. She eventually helped free Kaavan from his poor living conditions. The story will be featured in the documentary Cher & The Loneliest Elephant, which is set to air on the United Kingdom’s Smithsonian Channel.

It’s difficult to explain it in words. It’s something that you feel. Cher & The Loneliest 🐘, stream it on 🌏 Day 4/22 #WildAboutCher pic.twitter.com/c3MmLUiifw

— Cher (@cher) April 20, 2021

Cher stated that the persistence of her fans helped convince her to help the elephant Kaavan. She stated that “I just got swept up in it because the kids on my site, on my Twitter feed, started sending me these pictures and it was all ‘free Kaavan, free Kaavan’.” She added that at first, she thought she could not do anything about it. But as the messages continued she began to get involved in the mission to free Kaavan.

Cher worked with Dr Amir Khalil and Four Paws, the international rescue organisation. They found a home for Kaavan in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. In November 2020, she flew internationally for the rescue and relocation of Kaavan. The journey was documented in her upcoming documentary.

While talking about using her celebrity status, she stated that “It’s not the first time I’ve actually done something like this but it’s all been done with human beings.” She added that it’s been really difficult as people “send me pictures and videos all the time”. She stated that they would have to help the animals one at a time, and hope for the best.