Why a Thai elephant returned home after spending over two decades in Sri Lanka

A Thai elephant returned to his home after spending more than two decades in Sri Lanka. The ailing 29-year-old male elephant – named Muthu Raja or “Pearly King” in Sri Lanka – reached Thailand on Sunday (2 July) to receive medical treatment after he was allegedly mistreated while living at a Buddhist temple. Muthu Raja, known as Sak Surin or Mighty Surin in Thailand, was among the three tuskers gifted by the Thai royal family to Sri Lanka’s government in 2001, as per BBC. Let’s take a closer look at Muthu Raja’s story. Alleged abuse of Muthu Raja According to Associated Press (AP), Muthu Raja was sent to Sri Lanka when he was 10 years old for training as a carrier of religious relics. He was then kept at a Buddhist temple in the south of the island nation. Muthu Raja was made to perform at religious pageants despite suffering from a limp, reported Reuters. In 2020, Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), a Sri Lanka-based animal rights group, alleged that the animal was in bad shape due to years of hard labor and abuse, according to the AP report. Animal rights groups say that the elephant was forced to work with a logging crew and some of its wounds were allegedly inflicted by its handler, reported AFP. RARE soon started a petition calling for the animal’s rescue from the Kande Viharaya temple. Later, the animal rights activists alleged their complaints were ignored by the Sri Lankan government and called for the elephant’s return to Thailand, as per AP. Diplomatic row The issue turned into a diplomatic row between Thailand and Sri Lanka – both countries that consider elephants to be sacred animals.

Last year, Thailand asked the temple to return the elephant to its native country.

In a statement, Thailand’s foreign affairs ministry said at the time that a preliminary investigation by the Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka reported the elephant “was not in good health and was in poor living conditions”. The tusker was found to be underweight, with “rough skin and abscesses on both hips, thinning foot pads”, and a stiff left foreleg, making it difficult for him to walk and stand, reported AP. [caption id=“attachment_12820752” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] After allegations of mistreatment, the Thai elephant Muthu Raja was shifted to the national zoological garden in Colombo. AP[/caption] In November 2022, the temple transferred the elephant to National Zoological Garden in Colombo, where it was being treated since then. ALSO READ: Why Sri Lanka wants to export 100,000 endangered toque macaques to China Flight back home The 4,000-kilogramme mammal arrived in Thailand on Sunday inside a specially built giant steel crate onboard an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane, reported AFP. “He arrived in Chiang Mai perfectly,” Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa said. “He (Sak Surin) travelled five hours and nothing is wrong, his condition is normal.” As per BBC, the commercial reparation flight that consisted of a six-person team, including two veterinarians and four mahouts, along with the nine-foot-tall elephant cost 19 million baht (around Rs 4,44,54,604). From the airport, the mammal was transported to Lampang province’s Thai Elephant Conservation Center, where he will receive medical care. As per Silpa-archa, it could take up to a year for the elephant’s injuries to heal completely, Reuters reported citing local media ThaiPBS. BBC noted that the tusker will undergo hydrotherapy for the injury on its front left leg. Moreover, it is yet to be discussed with Sri Lanka whether the elephant will be sent back after its recovery, Thai officials said, as per AP. [caption id=“attachment_12820802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sak Surin was airlifted back to his home country from Sri Lanka. AP File Photo[/caption] “This is not the end, but the beginning of a new life for Muthu Raja,” RARE group founder Panchali Panapitiya earlier told AP. She also said that the “failure” of Sri Lankan wildlife officials to rescue the elephant had brought “disrepute” to the island nation. Meanwhile, the return of Muthu Raja has strained ties between Thailand and Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lanka-based wildlife environmentalist Jagath Gunawardana, when a gift is taken back, it is “bound to have a negative effect" on the ties between the two countries, reported Deutsche Welle (DW). Sri Lanka’s wildlife minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said Thailand was “adamant” in its behest for the tusker’s return, as per AFP. Last month, Sri Lankan prime minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that in May he had expressed his regret to his Thai counterpart over the elephant’s condition and was able to “re-establish trust between the two countries”, reported BBC. The Thai environment minister announced in June that authorities will start examining the health condition of other Thai elephants living overseas. He also said the Thai government stopped sending the animal to foreign countries after protests from activists. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.