In late 2020, Cher made a herculean effort to move “the world’s loneliest elephant” to a sanctuary in Cambodia. Her animal rights work became the subject of a documentary, Cher & The Loneliest Elephant, which you can preview via the trailer below.
The documentary follows the singer as she travels to Pakistan to oversee the relocation of the elephant, named Kaavan, who became known as the “world’s loneliest elephant” after his partner Saheli died in 2012. Kaavan, who was a gift from the government of Sri Lanka to the head of the Pakistani army 35 years ago, had become increasingly lonely and depressed while spending over a dozen years in chains at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad.
Overweight and malnourished, Kaavan suffered from abysmal conditions, and was sometimes beaten. After learning of his struggle in 2016, Cher hired a legal team through Free the Wild, the wildlife protection charity she co-founded. They got Pakistan’s high court to close Marghazar Zoo last May, freeing all of its animals. Cher then helped escort Kaavan to his new home at the Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Cher & The Loneliest Elephant premieres April 22nd on Paramount+ as a special Earth Day presentation. It will later air on the Smithsonian Channel on May 19th.
