Daily Times

Music icon Cher marked “ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE” on Thursday after a Pakistani court ordered freedom for a lonely elephant named Kaavan, who had become the subject of a high-profile rights campaign backed by the US singer.

“WE HAVE JUST HEARD FROM PAKISTAN HIGH COURT KAAVAN IS FREE,” Cher tweeted, adding a string of emojis and saying she felt “SICK”.

“THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE,” the effusive singer continued.

The Islamabad High Court has ordered wildlife officials to consult Sri Lanka to find Kaavan a “suitable sanctuary” within 30 days, tweeted the Friends of Islamabad Zoo, which described itself as a group of citizens concerned about animal welfare at the zoo.

Outrage over treatment of Kaavan, an Asian elephant originally from Sri Lanka, went global several years ago with a petition garnering over 200,000 signatures after it emerged the animal was being chained at the Islamabad Zoo in Pakistan’s leafy capital.

Zoo officials later said this was no longer the case, and that he just needed a new mate after his previous partner died in 2012.

His behaviour — including signs of distress such as bobbing his head repeatedly — demonstrates “a kind of mental illness”, Safwan Shahab Ahmad of the Pakistan Wildlife Foundation revealed.

Activists said he had insufficient shelter from Islamabad’s searing summer temperatures, which can rise to above 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).

Asian elephants can roam thousands of kilometres through deep tropical and subtropical forests, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

In contrast, Kaavan’s 90 by 140 metre (100 by 150 yard) pen had almost no foliage, and only limited shade was provided.