CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Dr. Amir Khalil and his team have carved out a niche in a highly specialized field: moving elephants.
The Egyptian veterinarian is known for his high-profile rescue of Kaavan, an Asian elephant relocated in 2020 from a lonely life at a Pakistani zoo to a sanctuary in Cambodia.
Now, Khalil’s expertise was called upon once again—this time for Charley, the last captive elephant in South Africa.
Charley, a four-ton African elephant, spent over 20 years at the National Zoological Garden in Pretoria.
After his companion, Landa, passed away in 2020, Charley’s mental health deteriorated, showing signs of loneliness and distress.
Elephants are known to be emotionally complex, and zoo officials decided that Charley deserved a better life for his remaining years.
They arranged to move him to a private game reserve about 120 miles away, where he could socialize with other elephants.
Khalil, an animal rescue expert at the Four Paws Wildlife Organization, was chosen to oversee the relocation.
He and his team, including veterinarians Dr. Marina Ivanova and Dr. Frank Göritz, who had also worked on the Kaavan project, began preparing Charley two years ago.
The team avoided tranquilizing Charley, as moving an unconscious elephant would be dangerous for an animal of his size.
Instead, they spent months building his trust and training him to voluntarily enter a metal transport container.
With rewards like pumpkins, papaya, and beetroot, Charley quickly adapted to the crate-training process, completing it in under two weeks.
In late August, Charley made the long journey to Shambala, a private game reserve, in the back of a truck. Upon arrival, he was kept in a separate park area to allow him time to adjust. Over the next few weeks, he will slowly be introduced to the wild herds that roam the reserve.
Reintroducing captive elephants into a wild environment is rare, but Khalil praised the Pretoria Zoo and South Africa’s environment ministry for allowing Charley this opportunity. “It’s a great message from South Africa that even an old elephant deserves a new chance,” he said.
Though Charley has spent nearly 40 years in captivity, Khalil believes he will adapt to his new surroundings.
At Shambala, he’ll have the chance to enjoy the freedom of the wild, with opportunities to take mud baths, roam the bush, and interact with other elephants.
Charley has already started communicating with his new neighbors, using the deep rumbles elephants produce to send messages over distances as far as three miles.
Dr. Ivanova expressed excitement over Charley’s progress: “I hear him rumbling. We’ll help him turn into a wild elephant again.”
Khalil and his team are preparing for their next mission: relocating another elephant in Pakistan in October.