A MESSAGE FROM CHER:

I’m here to tell you a troubling story about an elephant named Kaavan.

Kaavan is a beautiful creature who has been living behind bars in Islamabad for over 30 years. For decades he has been chained, abused, neglected and ignored.

He has suffered in deplorable conditions in Marghzar Zoo while any efforts to save him have stalled.

In July 2016, after a long battle, Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee agreed that sending Kaavan to a sanctuary in Cambodia was “the right thing to do.” The team behind #FreeKaavan have done an incredible job in raising awareness of Kaavan’s condition, but we’re still not there yet.

My dear friend & Free The Wild co-founder Mark Cowne recently went to visit Kaavan who is in much better physical condition than when he last saw him. Conditions in the zoo have improved but it’s just not enough.

We have secured Kaavan a home at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. Founded in 2004 with the Cambodian government, the Sanctuary is a million-acre jungle and wildlife conservation project committed to protecting and rehabilitating diminishing jungle habitat and wildlife. It was founded by an incredible group of people.

There is no better home for Kaavan - but we need YOU to make it happen. We cannot do it alone.

To get him there, we need to raise $250,000. If we all join forces, we can make sure Kaavan lives the rest of his life in a loving environment with dignity.

I founded #FreeTheWild to create a world where animals are free from cruelty and abuse, and I’m looking to the world to join this movement. #FreeTheWild is the world’s first dedicated online platform that aggregates and amplifies global efforts for animal welfare. We will select existing projects to support via online donations and advocacy - our first project is to free Kaavan.

After attending the 2016 One Young World Summit in Ottawa, Canada, I knew there was no better place to launch #FreeTheWild than at the next One Young World Summit in Bogota, Colombia. The inspiring young leaders who attend #OYW’s annual Summits are changing the world around them, and I want to follow suit and pursue my passions to the fullest extent.

Please join me in building a safer world for animals.

Let’s set Kaavan free!