PHNOM PENH, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A lonely Asian elephant in Pakistan is scheduled to arrive in Cambodia by a chartered flight on Nov. 30, Cambodian Ministry of Environment secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra said Wednesday.
Pheaktra said Kaavan, the 35-year-old male elephant, will be transferred to the Kulen Prum Tep wildlife sanctuary in Northern Cambodia's Oddor Meanchey province soon after his arrival.
"We will take care of Kaavan, and when he is familiar with the forest there, we will release him and hope he will enjoy it," he told reporters.
Pakistan allowed Kaavan to be relocated to Cambodia after it has been kept in a Pakistan zoo for nearly 35 years.
In May, the Islamabad High Court ruled that Kaavan should be sent to a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary to enjoy his rest life.
Asian elephants are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
According to Pheaktra, the number of Asian elephants in Cambodia is estimated at between 400 and 600 heads, mostly in the Cardamom Mountains and in the northern provinces of Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri. Enditem