A visitor at the zoo saw a lonely elephant named Kavaan with chains around his legs. It was then she knew something had to be done.
“I happened to be in Islamabad for a vacation and happened to visit Murghazar zoo. I was astonished and sad to see the elephant was standing at one place throughout the time (I spent almost 45 minutes in the zoo) and his legs were all chained up. He was moving his head from left to right continuously and not once I saw that he stopped…. the first thought that came to my mind was that he was drugged. He kept standing at the same place without moving a leg. The only thing that was moving in his body was his head, from left to right…it was a pitiful sight.”
What Khan witnessed that day left a lasting impression. It inspired her to start a petition on Change.org to bring attention to the matter.
In light of the petition, Capital Development Authority (Islamabad’s government entity overseeing the zoo) officials announced Kavaan will be freed from the chains.
It’s a small victory, but we can’t stop there.
“Please speak up for Kaavan! Put pressure on the authorities to phase out their elephant exhibit and send Kaavan to an elephant sanctuary abroad!”