Sak Surin (elephant)
Sak Surin, also known as Muthu Raja, is a 29-year-old elephant that was gifted to Sri Lanka by the Thai royal family in 2001 to be trained as a carrier of religious relics.[1] However, after allegations of abuse and neglect while housed at a Buddhist temple in the south of Sri Lanka, Thai authorities demanded its return.[2] Sak Surin was flown back to Thailand on a commercial flight that cost $700,000.[2]
Sak Surin was returned to Thailand after allegations of abuse and neglect while housed at a Buddhist temple in the south of Sri Lanka. Thai authorities demanded its return. Animal welfare groups said the elephant had been forced to work with a logging crew and that its wounds, some allegedly inflicted by its handler, had been neglected.
After Sak Surin arrived back in Thailand, he was placed in medical quarantine.[3] He will undergo hydrotherapy to treat an injury on his front left leg.[4] The possibility of his return to Sri Lanka after receiving medical treatment has yet to be discussed.[2]
In July 2023 Sak Surin successfully passed his latest medical examination and has been cleared of various elephant-related diseases. He will continue to be in quarantine until early August 2023.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Thai elephant given as a gift returned home after facing ‘years of abuse’ The Express
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Thai elephant flown home after alleged abuse in Sri Lanka BBC
- ↑ Neglected Temple Elephant Flown To Thailand Onboard Ilyushin Il-76
- ↑ Sri Lanka temple elephant in to return to Thailand after neglect allegations
- ↑ Sak Surin clear of elephant-related diseases Thai PBS World