A Cambodian spokesman said on Thursday that an Asian elephant in Pakistan will be transported to Cambodia by ship, but the exact date has not been determined yet.

Ministry of Environment secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra said Cambodia thanked Pakistan for allowing the middle-aged Asian elephant, Kaavan, to be relocated to Cambodia after it has been kept in a Pakistani zoo for nearly 35 years.

"Kaavan, the 35-year-old male elephant, is due to be transported from Pakistan to a protected forest in Cambodia with coordination from the CWS (Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary)," he told reporters.

The spokesman said Cambodia issued a certificate on Nov. 3, allowing the elephant to be shipped to Cambodia and the certificate will be valid until May 2, 2021.

Pheaktra said the elephant would be transferred to the Kulen Prum Tep wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia's northwest Oddor Meanchey province.

"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 said.

In 1985, the one-year-old Kaavan was given as a gift by the Sri Lankan government to Pakistan.

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.