CHIANG MAI: Sak Surin, one of three elephants that Thailand gifted to Sri Lanka, returned home safely as he arrived in Chiang Mai on Sunday after 22 years away.
The elephant was kept in a cage that fits into the cargo hold of the Ilyushin IL-76 plane that flew her back. The air crew were joined by four veterinarians and two mahouts who had been sent to Sri Lanka earlier.
The IL-76 took off from Bandaranaike International Airport in the capital of Colombo at 7.30am on Sunday, with Sak Surin reported to be calm throughout the trip. The plane landed at Chiang Mai airport at 2.03pm after a five-hour flight.
The veterinarians performed a health check on the elephant upon arrival and his condition was reported to be normal.
After the landing, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said Sak Surin was being transported by trailer car to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC) in Lampang which is an hour and a half's drive south of Chiang Mai.
The elephant will receive at least a month of intensive care before being allowed to mingle with other elephants.
According to the plan, Sak Surin will be quarantined within a special area for 30 days where he will also receive extra medical care before the next stage of his reintroduction to Thailand.
The Ministry of National Resources and Environment is live-streaming events on its Facebook page to keep the public updated on the elephant's progress, said Mr Varawut.
Since Sak Surin was gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 as a goodwill ambassador for the country, the elephant has changed hands multiple times before ending up in Aluthgama Kande Viharaya in the south of the country, where it was a carrier of holy relics during annual Buddhist parades.
However, heads were turned after it was revealed that his limbs had been restrained with chains, which caused injuries all over his body, says Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (Rare), a Sri Lanka-based animal protection organisation. It insisted the Thai government bring the elephant back for treatment and sanctuary.
The government has planned the repatriation for six months, with cooperation from both governments and the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo. At least 19.5 million baht of the budget reserved for emergencies was spent on the elephant's repatriation operation.