Recovering elephant Sak Surin recently completed his mandatory quarantine after returning to Thailand from Sri Lanka. He later received a final health check before proceeding with his scheduled medical treatment.
The announcement was made by the Elephant Hospital at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang province. During the quarantine period, veterinarians had been collecting samples from Sak Surin to run tests, with the final examination to be performed on August 3rd to ensure the elephant does not carry diseases which could potentially be transmitted to other pachyderms. The results from the final tests are expected to be released within 7-10 days after the samples were collected.
After clearing the tests, Sak Surin will be trained to board a vehicle that will transport him from the quarantine area to his new home.
He is not yet due to be transported to the Elephant Hospital, as the veterinarian team is still working to determine his treatment plan.
Certain evaluations, such as inspecting infected areas using thermal imaging, were performed during the quarantine period, with others to include an ultrasound of Sak Surin’s eyes in order to determine the proper treatment for his cataracts.
Sak Surin was one of the three elephants sent by the Thai government to Sri Lanka 22 years ago as elephant ambassadors. In a special operation, he was transported back to Thailand on July 2 aboard a large cargo plane after concerns were raised about his health. (NNT)
