The King and Queen of Thailand have bestowed an honour upon Don Upul Jayarathna Denelpitiyage, a Sri Lankan mahout, in recognition of his unyielding care for the recuperating Thai elephant, Sak Surin. The elephant is currently in a 30-day quarantine in Lampang province, following his flight from Sri Lanka on the second day of July.
Air Marshal Pakdee Saengchuto, serving as the King’s deputy private secretary, represented the royals on Thursday as he presented a gift to Denelpitiyage, who originally hails from Dehiwala Zoo in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced via its Facebook page yesterday.
The ceremonial presentation was carried out at the premises of the ministry, with both permanent secretary Jatuporn Buruspat and Denelpitiyage in attendance.
