Muthu Raja, known in its homeland as Sak Surin, was found by Thai vets with sores and wounds (Picture: AP/Getty)
A neglected elephant gifted to Sri Lanka two decades ago by the Thai royal family has finally come back home amid claims of abuse.
Muthu Raja, known in his homeland as Sak Surin, was one of three elephants gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001.
The 29-year-old mammal had been kept at Kande Viharaya, a Buddhist temple in the South Asian country, and given honoured roles in religious processions.
But the Thai authorities demanded Muthu Raja be returned some nearly 1,5000 miles home after experiencing what animal welfare activists say was years of mistreatment.
He was flown from the Sri Lankan capital Colombo at 7:30am local time on a Russian Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane that Thai officials said cost $700,000 (£550,000).
A six-person team, including two veterinarians and four mahouts, or professional elephant trainers, accompanied him on the flight.
Muthu Raja’s Sri Lankan name means pearly king (Picture: AP)
Muthu Raja was on the flight for about six hours (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
A diplomatic scuffle had emerged over the animal’s alleged mistreatment (Picture: AFP)
Muthu Raja was placed inside a specially-made container to hold the nine-foot-tall animal, with elephant trainers travelling to Sri Lanka before the flight to help him get used to being confined.
The 4,000kg elephant touched ground in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, just after 2pm.
Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa told reporters that Muthu Raja ‘safely’ arrived, with video footage showing him appearing calm.
After a quick drink using his trunk, Muthu Raja’s decorated crate was hauled out of the plane after landing.
He will soon be moved to the government’s Thai Elephant Conservation Center in nearby Lampang where he will spend at least 30 days in quarantine.
‘He travelled five hours and nothing is wrong, his condition is normal,’ Silpa-archa said, adding: ‘If everything goes well, we will move him.’
He was taken to Thailand from the National Zoological Garden in Dehiwala, a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka (Picture: EPA)
Muthu Raja had been rescued from the temple following a campaign by the Sri Lanka-based animal welfare group, Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE).
RARE alleged in 2020 that the animal had suffered years of hard labour and abuse.
‘Muthu Raja’s abusers must be punished,’ RARE said in a petition calling for the animal’s release.
RARE claimed that the elephant had been forced to work with a logging crew and made to wear ‘spiked chains to work at temple processions’ with no rest.
Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in November a preliminary investigation conducted by the Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka in August concluded that the elephant ‘was not in good health and was in poor living conditions’.
Muthu Raja was underweight and had rough skin, thinning foot pads and a stiff left foreleg.
Animal rights activists had spent years campaigning for the elephant’s release back to Thailand (Picture: AP)
Some of these wounds were allegedly inflicted with a bullhook, also called an ankus, RARE said.
‘The experts concluded that Sak Surin must cease to participate in the parades immediately and that the elephant must be brought back to Thailand for proper medical treatment,’ Thailand’s foreign affairs ministry said.
Thai officials added at the time they would seek Sri Lanka’s approval to bring the animal back for treatment.
He was moved from the temple shortly after to the National Zoological Garden inDehiwala, a suburb of Colombo, for medical treatment, the ministry added.
Muthu Raja will now undergo hydrotherapy in Thailand.
Whether Muthu Raja will be returned to Sri Lanka after receiving treatment is unclear and will have to be hashed out with the Colombo government.
Muthu Raja will undergo medical treatment in Thailand (Picture: AP)
Sri Lankan Buddhist monks chant as animal rights activists pray by Muthu Raja (Picture: AP)
In Sri Lanka, elephants are considered sacred creatures that represent the Buddha and are protected under law.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told parliament last month that while visiting Thailand in May, he expressed his regret to his Thai counterpart, Prayut Chan-o-cha, about Muthu Raja’s treatment.
Seeing Muthu Raja off, RARE organised a Buddhist blessing yesterday.
In a Facebook post, RARE said that after a three-year-long campaign, its members have ‘contributed to saving; Muthu Raja’s life.
‘It’s time to send Muthu Raja home,’ the group said. ‘From tomorrow he will be Sak Surin. He will start his “new life” tomorrow.’
‘The campaign doesn’t end here,’ RARE added, ‘we will follow up to ensure he lives a chain-free bullhook-free life in Thailand.’
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‘He will start his “new life” tomorrow.’