evidence: In the days preceding Kaavan’s departure the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi, visited Marghazar zoo to officially bid farewell to the elephant who was gifted to the country 35 years ago. Now a species-appropriate home awaits Kaavan, where he will live with three female elephants in Cambodia. [...] The 28-hectare Marghazar Zoo was originally opened in 1978 as a wildlife sanctuary in the Margalla Hills in Islamabad but was later converted into a zoo. The zoo has been owned by the Pakistani capital Islamabad since its opening. Elephant Kaavan came to Pakistan as a gift from Sri Lanka in 1985. From 1990 on, he shared his enclosure at Marghazar Zoo with his partner Saheli, but since her death in 2012, Kaavan has lived a lonely existence. Kaavan was the only Asian elephant left in Pakistan, meaning it was not possible to socialise him with other elephants. But now, he will have a chance to once again live in a herd at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, co-founded by Lek Chailert. Initially he will be released into a quarantine enclosure, of approximately one acre, where he will be managed by a protected contact system. After the quarantine he will be able to roam within another bigger enclosure and after full rehabilitation he will be able to roam within a huge, fenced area covering several hectares. Not only will he have more space, but there will be an abundance of natural enrichments that will provide a varied diet for the 36-year-old elephant.