Rescued Thai Tusker Returns To Sri Lanka

Muthu Raja had deep abscesses and was in severe pain when it was brought to the Dehiwala Zoo in November

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By Allam Ousman

COLOMBO – An elephant gifted to Sri Lanka by Thailand two decades ago was flown back to its country of birth Sunday cementing Sri Lanka’s ignominy as a nation unable to care for a sacred animal.

“As a country and as a citizens we have been shamed by the treatment of the elephant,” legislator Dullas Allahapperuma told parliament before the elephant was taken back.

“Several wrongs were done. First was to give the animal to the Aluthgama Kande Viharaya. After taking into account the cruel treatment and the sick condition of the elephant, when a complaint was made to the Wildlife authorities, no action was taken.

“It is then that the animal rights organization complained to the Thai embassy.”

Thai authorities had insisted on taking back the tusker they donated in 2001 to then president Chandrika Kumaratunga with the understanding that it will be the carrier of the casket of Buddha relics at the annual Asela pageant of the Temple of the Tooth.

It was meant as an honour for the Royal family of Thailand to have its tusker be the carrier of the relics considered in the Buddhist world to be the most sacred.

When Kumaratunga diverted the animal to the Kande Viharaya instead, it was the first disappointment for the Thais.

Kumaratunga has not made any public comment over the plight of the elephant she accepted from Thailand. Last year, animal rights activists petitioned the Thai government after repeated appeals to local authorities failed to rescue the animal.

Taken to the Zoo

Following intense pressure from the Thai embassy in Colombo, the Sri Lankan government removed the animal from the Kande Viharaya and placed it at the Dehiwala Zoo to be cared by veterinarian Madusha Perera and her team.

Muthu Raja had deep abscesses and was in severe pain when it was brought to the Dehiwala Zoo in November.

At the time it left the zoo on Saturday night, Muthu Raja’s wounds had healed “about 80 to 90 percent” and needed further treatment for its stiff left front leg, according to veterinarians.

The Kande Vihara had denied allegations that the 29-year-old animal was tortured by a mahout and illtreated, but the wounds on Muthu Raja, also known as Sak Surin in Thailand, tells a different story.

Rights activists allege that the animal was used to carry logs and other money-making enterprises operated by the temple which apparently lacked proper infrastructure to care for the majestic beast.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told parliament last month that he had apologised to the King of Thailand over the incident and claimed he was able to repair the damage caused to bilateral ties.

There was no explanation from the government how an animal protected by law was allowed to be neglected sparking an intervention from a foreign government.

Rescued

The government which resists any foreign intervention over human rights issues in Sri Lanka did not object when the Thai ambassador to Sri Lanka made it his mission not only to rescue Muthu Raja from the Kande Viharaya but take it back to its country of birth.

The Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE), which championed the cause of Muthu Raja, has now launched a campaign to press the authorities to bring to justice those responsible for cruelty to the tusker and bringing disrepute to Sri Lanka.

Repatriating Muthu Raja was a logistical nightmare. The Thais spent over $700,000 for the one-way commercial flight from Colombo to Chiang Mai where the 4,000-kilo (8,800-pound) animal will be quarantined, officials said.

They chartered Russia’s private cargo carrier, Aviacon Zitotrans, which operated an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo transporter that took off from the Bandaranaike International at 7.40 am on Sunday.

A special steel cage — the size of a shipping container — was laid with a thick black rubber mat for Muthu Raja to stand on. The sides were cushioned with cotton pillows.

Two CCTV cameras were fitted to monitor the animal while four Thai mahouts and a Sri Lankan keeper will be with the tusker throughout the flight. Two Thai vets are also travelling with the animal.

The elephant is to undergo hydrotherapy at a Thai elephant hospital for the chronic stiffness of its front left leg.

Nationalists Protest

On Thursday, a nationalist group of about 10 people protested outside the Thai embassy demanding that Muthu Raja be allowed to remain in Sri Lanka.

They argued that they were unaware of the suffering of the elephant but could arrange treatment to nurse the elephant back to health.

Both government and opposition legislators have said Thailand’s taking back their gift was a slur on Sri Lanka.

Wildlife minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said Thailand had been “adamant” in its demands for the elephant’s return.

Thai Environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa would not be drawn on whether Muthu Raja had been mistreated but noted that the Thai government had stopped sending elephants abroad after Muthu Raja’s plight made it to international headlines.

Bangkok’s diplomatic missions were now checking the condition of those already sent overseas. – EconomyNext

Allam Ousman
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