Thai embassy in Sri Lanka and the Dehiwala Zoo in Colombo held a religious ceremony to bless Sak Surin, the male elephant for a safe journey back home on July 2. The jumbo, gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 will be brought back to Thailand for medical treatment.
Poj Harnpol, Thai ambassador to Sri Lanka attended the ceremony, conducted by the abbot of the Kande Vihara temple, where Sak Surin had stayed and used to parade Buddha relics in annual Buddha relics cerebrations in Sri Lanka. Local people participated in the ceremony to see him off.
The ambassador said most Sri Lankan people were sad when they learned about the elephant’s illness.
The elephant was well cooperated in the training to prepare him for travelling. He practised entering the specially-designed cage and remained calm in the cage, which would be used to move him to board the six-hour flight. Two veterinarians and Thai mahouts will accompany Sak Surin during the trip.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa will welcome the jumbo at Chiang Mai airport. After arriving in Chiang Mai, Sak Surin will be then moved to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
The Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), an animal protection organization in Sri Lanka, last year complained that the Sak Surin elephant was heavily used and was not treated properly. The organization urged for the immediate medical treatment of the elephant.
The Thai embassy in Colombo brought Thai veterinarians and experts to check the elephant in Sri Lanka. They said that it should be suspended from work and sent back to Thailand for treatment. (TNA)
