In a case that has gone around the world, a Thai elephant that was given to Sri Lanka in 2001 returned to its homeland after a diplomatic row over its alleged mistreatment.
The 29-year-old elephant named “Muthu Raja” arrived in Thailand on a commercial flight valued at 19 million baht, or about $540,000, specifically arranged for its repatriation.
The Thai government insisted on getting the elephant back after reports emerged of its alleged torture while it was housed in a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, the BBC reported today.
Sri Lanka’s prime minister has formally apologized to the Thai king in response to the matter, the BBC added.
Muthu Raja, weighing some 8,800 pounds, was carefully transported to Chiang Mai inside a custom-made steel cage, accompanied by four Thai guides and a Sri Lankan zookeeper. The elephant will undergo hydrotherapy to treat a pre-existing injury to its left front leg.
Both Thailand and Sri Lanka hold elephants in high regard as sacred creatures. In 2001, the Thai royal family generously gifted three elephants, including Muthu Raja, to the Sri Lankan government for use in transporting religious relics. Muthu Raja was entrusted to a temple in the southern part of the country.
Animal rights organizations alleged that the elephant was subjected to work with a logging crew inside the temple, resulting in a leg ailment caused by prolonged neglect.
Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), a Sri Lanka-based activist group, persistently called on the Thai authorities to intervene after their attempts to obtain action from the Sri Lankan government were unsuccessful.
RARE founder Panchali Panapitiya expressed disappointment with Sri Lankan wildlife officials for their lack of response as it brought the country into disrepute, according to the organization’s website.
Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said Thailand insisted on the elephant’s return after its ambassador to Sri Lanka noted its deteriorating health during a visit last year.
According to the AP agency, Muthu Raja was suffering from pain and abscesses when he was rescued from the temple in November. Activists believe that some of his injuries were inflicted by his handler.
After its removal, the elephant was temporarily housed at the Sri Lanka National Zoological Gardens, where most of its injuries have since healed.
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena addressed parliament in June, lamenting the alleged abuses suffered by Muthu Raja and affirming efforts to restore trust between the two nations.
In light of activist protests, the Thai government stopped exporting elephants abroad about three years ago, as Thailand’s environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa noted in June.
Keep reading:
Woman finds mastodon tooth on California beach
Video: Memphis Zoo celebrates the birth of two Sumatran tiger cubs
San Diego Zoo euthanizes 59-year-old elephant