Wildlife on board: DHL safely relocates “the world’s loneliest elephant”

• The
  carefully planned temperature-controlled multimodal journey of Kaavan started
  from Islamabad and ended in a sanctuary in Cambodia
• The logistics leader worked with global animal
  welfare organization FOUR PAWS and veterinary specialists to ensure a safe and
  comfortable ride for the elephant
• First-ever adult elephant that was flown out of
  Pakistan is now safe and sound in his new home

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7
December 2020 – Kaavan, a 36-year old Asian elephant, is settling
in his new home in Cambodia after his flight from Islamabad, Pakistan.  The “long-haul” flight took months of careful
and extensive planning by FOUR PAWS, a global animal welfare organization,
veterinary specialists and DHL Global Forwarding. The international freight
specialist arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group took care of the logistics, including
securing the necessary customs authorization, for the transportation of Kaavan from
his previous home at the Marghazar Zoo.

Kaavan boarded the
plane on 30 November in a customized crate for his long-awaited journey,
planned by DHL Global Forwarding and FOUR PAWS.

DHL Global Forwarding
took care of the logistics, including securing the necessary customs
authorization, for the relocation of Kaavan to his new home at Cambodia
Wildlife Sanctuary.

Weighing over four tons and at more than three meters in
height, Kaavan boarded the plane on 30 November after a medical check for his
long-awaited journey to his new home at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. The Asian
elephant had taken a truck ride, from the zoo to the Islamabad International
Airport. A customized crate, in full compliance with the International Air
Transport Association’s regulations, was specially built for the trips.

“Shipping live animals is especially complex as each animal
has its unique requirements and Kaavan, who belongs to the largest land mammal species
on the Asian continent, is the first adult elephant to board an airplane in
Pakistan. We had to make special arrangements for him and are delighted to have
been able to leverage our logistics know-how and global network of temperature
controlled facilities, in addition to FOUR PAWS’ animal expertise, to safely
bring Kaavan to his new home in Cambodia,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global
Forwarding Asia Pacific.

Kaavan, also known as the world’s loneliest elephant,
received global attention for his living conditions in the Marghazar Zoo. To prepare
for the journey, the elephant received special training for several weeks
to securely enter his crate. Kaavan was accompanied by a team of wildlife
veterinarians who watched over him and kept him calm.

“The highly-anticipated voyage is the result of months of
planning and coordination with DHL and various animal specialists, such as the
team from EKIPA, with the support of local Pakistan officials, American businessman
Eric S. Margolis and Cher’s non-governmental organization Free The Wild. Kaavan
has been relocated to provide him with a species-appropriate environment and
for the care that they require, and every possible effort has been made to
ensure that the trip, which is his  passageway to a better life, was safe and
comfortable for him,” said Dr. Amir Khalil,  FOUR PAWS veterinarian and leader
of the rescue mission.

In 2018, DHL successfully helped four
grown endangered Ussuri brown bears travel across continents from Japan to
England, and sent two
giant pandas on a climate-neutral journey from China to Finland.

Note to editors:

Even the most seasoned of travelers would be prone to
feeling cranky after spending 20 hours on a 9,000km trip. But four Ussuri bears
were little fazed by such an experience when they made the journey from Japan
to England in August 2018. Read about the first-class experience of the
four grown brown bears who successfully traveled across continents to their new
home.