Courtesy India Today

Thailand airlifted an elephant from Sri Lanka after the authorities accused the island nation of mistreating the animal. The elephant — Muthu Raja — was gifted to Sri Lanka almost two decades ago, in 2001.

More than two decades ago, in 2001, a Thai elephant was gifted to Sri Lanka. (Photo: AFP).

By Agence France-Presse: A Thai elephant that was gifted to Sri Lanka twenty years ago was flown back to Thailand on Sunday due to a diplomatic dispute over its alleged mistreatment. Thai authorities had given the 29-year-old elephant, Muthu Raja, also known as Sak Surin, to Sri Lanka in 2001. However, they demanded its return last year following allegations of torture and neglect while it was at a Buddhist temple in the southern part of the island.

The 4,000-kilogram mammal was transported from Colombo airport on a one-way commercial flight, costing USD 700,000 according to Thai officials. After arriving in Chiang Mai, the elephant will be quarantined at a nearby nature reserve.

Muthu Raja was taken from his temporary home at a zoo in Colombo before dawn in a specially designed steel cage. Four Thai handlers and a Sri Lankan keeper accompanied the elephant on the flight, while two CCTV cameras monitored its health during transit.

According to the chief veterinarian at Dehiwala Zoo, Madusha Perera, Muthu Raja was in pain and covered in abscesses when it was rescued from its previous abode last year. Animal welfare groups claim that the elephant had been forced to work with a logging crew, and its wounds, some allegedly inflicted by its handler, were neglected.

Once back in Thailand, the elephant will undergo hydrotherapy to treat a remaining injury to its front left leg, as per Perera’s statement. In Sri Lanka, elephants are considered sacred and protected by law. The organization Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), which campaigned for the elephant’s rescue from the temple, expressed dissatisfaction over its departure and is seeking prosecution for those responsible for neglecting the animal.

A nationalist group in Sri Lanka staged a demonstration outside the Thai embassy in Colombo, demanding the elephant’s continued stay in Sri Lanka for another six months. The wildlife minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, stated that Thailand was firm in its demands for the elephant’s return. Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa did not comment on whether Muthu Raja had been mistreated but mentioned that the Thai government had halted the practice of sending elephants abroad. Bangkok’s diplomatic missions are now inspecting the condition of elephants that were previously sent overseas.