Thai elephant returned home amid claims of abuse at temple in Sri Lanka
The elephant Sak Surin has been returned to Thailand after two decades in Sri Lanka (AP Photo/Nareerat Chaywichain)
An ailing elephant that Thailand had presented to Sri Lanka more than two decades ago returned to its native land for medical treatment on Sunday following allegations that the animal was badly abused while living at a Buddhist temple.
The male elephant, known in Sri Lanka as Muthu Raja, or Pearly King; and as Sak Surin, or Mighty Surin, in Thailand; was flown directly from the island nation’s capital to Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand on a Russian Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane.
