Abused elephant Sak Surin returns to Thailand

Abused elephant returns to Thailand

An elephant abused in Sri Lanka has arrived safely back in its home country of Thailand after a lengthy diplomatic tug-of-war.

It is being held in quarantine at a special center in the north of the country, reported the newspaper «Bangkok Post», citing the authorities.

The 29-year-old Sak Surin, known for his particularly long tusks, was flown yesterday from Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo to Chiang Mai aboard a Russian transport aircraft after months of preparation. The drama surrounding the pachyderm had generated many headlines in both countries. All major media outlets have been reporting on the case for weeks.

Hard labour and mistreatment

Sak Surin was a gift from Thailand to the government of Sri Lanka in 2001. In both predominantly Buddhist countries, elephants hold religious significance. In the former Ceylon, however, he was abused by a mahout (elephant keeper) at a temple and also forced to perform heavy labour, as animal welfare advocates complained.

The organisation Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), which drew attention to the case and informed the authorities in Thailand, reported abscesses, deep wounds and a permanently stiff leg. The government in Bangkok subsequently organized the return transport and allocated a special budget for it.

In Thailand, the four-tonne giant was received by Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa and examined by veterinarians. His condition was reported to be good enough that, according to media reports, he was immediately transported by special vehicle under police escort to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, 70 kilometres away.

Numerous spectators had come to the airport to catch a glimpse of the large grey steel crate containing the elephant, as seen in videos on social media. Sak Surin had needed weeks of training to enter the crate and remain calm inside it for several hours. During the flight, he was attended to by veterinarians and elephant handlers (mahouts).

Interest is so great that live footage of Sak Surin is to be regularly broadcast on Facebook in the future. After a 30-day quarantine and thorough medical treatment, the bull is ultimately planned to be introduced to other elephants. Whether he will ever be returned to Sri Lanka, as the government in Colombo wishes, remains unclear at this time. More on the topic Animal rights and Species conservation.

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