Daily Times

The Ministry of Climate Change has invited two Cambodian veterinarians to undertake the health assessment of the Asian elephant, Kavaan, of the Islamabad Marghazar Zoo, before its relocation to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia, said climate change ministry spokesperson.

He said while Kavaan is awaiting a go-ahead for transfer to a wildlife sanctuary, the Ministry wants to ensure that the animal is fit for travel after the approval from the veterinarians of the receiving country of Cambodia.

“We want to make sure that Kavaan is in good health to travel and there is no threat to his life during the process of relocation,” he stressed.

He added, “A detailed health assessment by the Cambodian veterinarians will provide the climate change ministry and the receiving country an outlook of the toil the journey of Kavaan would take on his health and whether he should travel at all.”

The ministry spokesperson highlighted that the team of veterinarians from Cambodia was set to arrive in Islamabad last month, but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the consequent global travel restrictions, the team’s visit hit snags.

However, while the international travel restrictions have been eased, the team is expected to arrive soon and help the government determine the re-location status of Kavaan, he said.

Due to the mismanagement of the previous institutions looking after the Marghazar zoo, animals have suffered. But now, the climate change ministry has taken strict notice of the plight of the animals and is all set to resolve them, the spokesperson remarked.

The Islamabad High Court in its writ petition no.1155/2019 had directed to make necessary arrangements for the relocation of Kavaan, which has spent more than 35 years at the Islamabad Zoo.