Initially intended as a gift to the Sri Lankan government in 2001 from the Thai royal family, an Asian elephant named Muthu Raja finally arrived back in Thailand today after more than two decades. The mammal was safely transported from Colombo to Chiang Mai via an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft and currently remains in medical quarantine.
An ill-treated sacred gift
Muthu Raja was one of three elephants donated by the Thai royal family as a gesture of goodwill. Also known back in Thailand as Plai Sak Surin, Muthu Raja was, in turn, gifted to a Buddhist temple by the Sri Lankan government. The large mammal was given honored roles to pay tribute to sacred relics in several religious processions over the years.
Given the religious and endangered significance of elephants, these gentle giants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka and are protected by law. Unfortunately, complaints from the Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) began sprouting last year, suggesting that Muthu Raja was being tortured and medically neglected while still housed at the same temple.
Photo: RARE
The alleged mistreatment of the elephant resulted in a stiff leg from a long-ignored injury, rendering him unable to bend his knees for nearly a decade and causing the development of abnormalities. There were also accusations that the temple was not feeding Muthu Raja properly, as he was so emaciated that his spine was visible.
He had also allegedly developed nasty abscesses on both sides of his hips and had thinning footpads due to an accumulation of inadequate care, prolonged standing, and being overworked. With Muthu Raja’s deteriorating condition and complaints to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment seemingly useless, RARE lobbied for the intervention of Thai officials.
Hope for Muthu Raja
Once Thai officials got word of Muthu Raja’s alleged mistreatment, they ordered the temple officials to allow the elephant’s return to Thailand for medical treatment. While the demand from Thai officials caused a diplomatic dispute, the temple eventually agreed to transfer the elephant to Sri Lanka’s National Zoological Garden last November.
While at the zoo, a veterinary surgeon treated Muthu Raja, who confirmed that he was suffering from two large abscesses and was in constant pain. While the veterinary surgeon could treat those abscesses, the zoo lacked the facilities required to fully treat the elephant’s leg injuries. This further prompted the need for Muthu Raja to return to Thailand.
Photo: RARE
Only in Thailand could experts fully assess and treat his condition so he might walk normally again. Thai officials demanded he should be brought home again. Since November and until the planned day of the airlift home – July 2nd – the elephant has been getting veterinarian check-ups, regular baths, and practicing getting into a special container that would carry him onboard the cargo aircraft.
Blessed journey home
The particular container was cushioned and had open windows for feeding, which included bananas, pumpkins, and sugar cane for the nine-foot-tall, four-ton, nearly three-decade-old mammal. Before Muthu Raja, in his container, was loaded onboard an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft, Buddhist monks chanted and prayed for his safe journey back to Chiang Mai.
Two veterinarians, three Thai, and one Sri Lankan elephant tender also accompanied the elephant during the almost six-hour repatriation flight journey. Fortunately, Muthu Raja survived the flight well after Thai Environment Minister Varawut Silpaarcha announced that he arrived perfectly and was in normal condition.
He also highlighted that the elephant would be quarantined in an elephant hospital to undergo hydrotherapy for his leg before being moved to a nearby nature reserve. While it is excellent that Muthu Raja can now have a more peaceful retired life without having to be mistreated and is receiving the care he deserves, it’ll be a sweeter ending if he could eventually walk normally again without pain.
