An ailing elephant that Thailand presented to Sri Lanka more than two decades ago has returned to his native land for medical treatment following allegations the animal was badly abused while living at a Buddhist temple.
A veterinary surgeon attends to the Asian elephant Sak Surin, gifted by the Thai Royal family and named Muthu Raja or pearly king in Sri Lanka, at the national zoological garden in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 30, 2023. Sak Surin, or the honor of the Thai province of Surin, spends its last hours in Sri Lanka its adopted home, awaiting to be airlifted back to its country of birth after alleged abuse.
A special container was built to hold the 275-centimeter- tall, 4-ton pachyderm. Several mahouts went to Sri Lanka in advance to accustom the animal to being caged so he wouldn’t panic during the trip to Thailand.Thai Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa was at the airport and said the elephant landed in perfect condition. He said earlier that Thailand spent at least 19 million baht for the animal's repatriation.
A Sri Lanka-based animal rights group, Rally for Animal Rights and Environment group, alleged in 2020 that the animal was in bad health due to years of hard labor and abuse, and needed urgent medical care. The group started a petition calling for him to be rescued and later called for the elephant's return to Thailand after the Sri Lankan government allegedly ignored the activists' complaints.
He was moved from the Buddhist temple to Sri Lanka’s National Zoological Garden for preliminary treatment and appeared healthier before his flight to Thailand.
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