Kaavan: In chains, he weeps

After brief period of freedom, sole elephant at Islamabad Zoo shackled once again

ISLAMABAD:

The chains around Kaavan’s feet have returned.

The ‘behaviourally-challenged’ elephant in Islamabad Zoo was held captive in solitary confinement for several years after the death of his long-term female companion, Saheli, in May 2012. Global outcry later forced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to intervene. Consequently, the chains around the 31-year-old Asian elephant were removed in October last year. Three months later, the shackles are back.

Even though the Capital Development Authority (CDA), responsible for the zoo’s management, upgraded Kaavan’s enclosure at a cost of Rs2.3 million, it still lacks sufficient space and arrangements to keep it safe from adverse weather conditions.

CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid shared with The Express Tribune a copy of an additional order about the upkeep of the elephant during winters. The order mentions Musth, a hormonal change mostly experienced by elephants from mid-November to mid-March resulting in aggressive behaviour. “It instructs chaining the elephant from 4.30pm to 9.30am for his safety,” says Sajid, quoting the order.

The order further states that bull elephants cannot tolerate temperatures below 0°C, as is the case during night time in Islamabad in January. The caretakers were, thus, instructed to install a canopy in front of the elephant’s shed and light a fire inside the enclosure to keep him warm.



The orders, though, have had little impact on the ground. Kaavan remains shackled for 24 hours a day. Sajid says the animal was chained because he destroyed a small gate and a wall of the enclosure. He said that while these are being re-constructed, Kaavan will remain chained, claiming the timings mentioned in the order for the elephant’s captivity will be observed from the coming weekend.

Global outcry

Vexed at the apathy of the authorities, animal rights activists have planned a peaceful protest outside the prime minister’s official residence. Even though protests are currently prohibited in the Red Zone, activists say they will go on with their demonstration.

“We staged a protest against re-chaining Kaavan in front of the zoo last Sunday,” says Faryal Gohar, a rights activist who has been heading the campaign for the last five months. “But the authorities seem unmoved.”

Gohar says she and other activists also held two unsuccessful meetings with the CDA. “We want CDA to announce the retirement of the elephant and send it to some sanctuary as they seem ill-equipped to take care of it.”

Kaavan is no stranger to global attention. A petition, ‘Help Free Kaavan’, demanding its release to a sanctuary, launched last year by Pakistani-American Samar Khan, has 395,245 signatories so far.

Kaavan was also featured in the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in October 2015 in Los Angeles. Moreover, a UK-based animal welfare charity, Four Paws International (FPI), formally approached CDA with an offer to transport Kaavan to a sanctuary in Myanmar after obtaining permission from the government of Myanmar.

The zoo’s management, however, did not respond. They have also not responded to similar offers from other sponsors.

Senior management of the CDA insists sending the only elephant of the zoo away is impossible. However, they say improvements to Kaavan’s living conditions are in progress. As an alternative a senior CDA officer claims if the government allows, CDA can spare four to five acres of land at Margalla Hills National Park to create a sanctuary for the elephant.

In search of empathy

Elephants are on the verge of extinction globally. Their survival is threatened, not only by the cruelty in zoos or circuses, but also by poachers.

Like humans, elephants are empathetic beings, with the ability to understand and share feelings. This makes them immensely emotional and sensitive. In January 2013, pictures of a baby elephant in Borneo nudging and snuggling the body of its dead mother left people bewildered,  prompting scientists to carry out experiments to understand their emotional intelligence.

Kaavan experienced depression after the death of Saheli, grieving and eating minimally. Even though there are no known incidents of Kaavan attacking people, it was chained instead of being provided medical treatment or another companion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2016.