2-7-2023 (BANGKOK) Muthu Raja, a 29-year-old Thai elephant that was gifted to Sri Lanka two decades ago, was flown back to Thailand on Sunday (Jul 2) following a diplomatic spat over allegations of mistreatment. The elephant, also known as Sak Surin in its birth country, was gifted to Sri Lanka by Thai authorities in 2001. However, last year, Thai authorities demanded its return after reports emerged that it had been tortured and neglected while housed at a Buddhist temple in the south of the island. The allegations led to a campaign by animal welfare groups and a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
Muthu Raja was flown out from Colombo airport on a one-way commercial flight for repatriation that cost US$700,000, according to Thai officials. The 4,000kg mammal was taken from its temporary home at a zoo in Colombo before dawn in a special steel cage the size of a shipping container. Four Thai handlers alongside a Sri Lankan keeper accompanied the elephant on the flight, and two CCTV cameras monitored its health in transit. The elephant will be quarantined at a nature reserve in Chiang Mai upon arrival.
Animal welfare groups had accused the temple of neglecting Muthu Raja after it was found to be in pain and covered in abscesses last year. The elephant had allegedly been forced to work with a logging crew, and some of its wounds were reportedly inflicted by its handler. The chief veterinarian at the Dehiwala Zoo, Madusha Perera, said that Muthu Raja was in pain and covered in abscesses when it was rescued from its previous abode last year. The elephant will undergo hydrotherapy to treat a remaining injury on its front left leg when it returns to Thailand.
Historic ! The ailing Thai elephant ‘Muthuraja’ or Sak Surin’s has been airlifted by an Ilyushin Il-76 heavy transport plane from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, (CMB/VCBI), Sri Lanka to Thailand today.#transport #aircraft #transfer #animals pic.twitter.com/8DnmTMRKiJ
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 2, 2023
Elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka, and they are protected by law. The organisation Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), which led the campaign to rescue Muthu Raja from the temple, expressed its unhappiness over the animal’s departure. RARE organised a Buddhist blessing for the elephant on Friday ahead of the journey and is now petitioning the authorities to prosecute those it says are responsible for neglecting the animal. A nationalist group staged a demonstration outside the Thai embassy in Colombo on Thursday, demanding that the animal remain in Sri Lanka for another six months.
Wildlife minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said Thailand had been “adamant” in its demands for the elephant’s return. Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had personally conveyed Sri Lanka’s regrets to the Thai king over the elephant’s condition. Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa would not be drawn last month on whether Muthu Raja had been mistreated but noted that the Thai government had stopped sending elephants abroad. Bangkok’s diplomatic missions are now checking the condition of those already sent overseas.
