29-year-old elephant Plai Sak Surin airlifted to its home country from Sri Lanka is feeling refreshed, experiencing less fatigue, and able to eat well, following its arrival in Thailand yesterday (July 2), said Suratchai Inwiset, the director of the National Elephant Institute (Thai Elephant Conservation Center) in Lampang.
The elephant will undergo medical examination by a team of veterinarians before the treatment begins for abscesses on both hips and a stiff left foreleg. Yesterday, blood samples and fecal samples were collected and sent to the laboratory for testing. The results are currently being awaited in order to plan for further treatment, the director said.
In the meantime, the elephant is given time to rest and recuperate. It will take time for Sak Surin to adjust to the new environment after it spent 22 years in Sri Lanka and to familiarize itself with Thai mahouts and the Thai language.
People who wish to visit and check on the elephant can follow updates from the CCTV cameras through the monitors installed at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center.
Mr. Suratchai stated that “Phlai Sak Surin” will have to stay in an animal quarantine facility for a period of 30 days according to the Department of Livestock Development’s regulations for controlling animal epidemic diseases. Once “Phlai Sak Surin” has received proper care and treatment and is in good health, the public will be allowed to visit. The specific visiting schedule will be announced again at a later date.
The elephant was sent to Sri Lanka in 2001 when he was about seven years old. He was one of three elephants that Thailand gave to Sri Lanka’s government for training as a carrier of religious relics and was placed under the care of a Buddhist temple. (TNA)
