The Thai elephant in Sri Lanka, Sak Surin, is quite satisfactory and remains calm and cooperative with the mahouts, as officials use a crane to lift the flight cage with the animal inside, in the final stage of practice before it is flown back to Thailand on July 2nd.
The elephant is said to be in good shape and appears to be happy, according to Thai officials in Sri Lanka.
A team, led by Rungnapar Pattanavibool, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and Kanchana Silpa-archa, will fly to Sri Lanka tomorrow (Thursday) to make final arrangements for the elephant to be flown to Chiang Mai on a chartered flight.
Four mahouts and two veterinarians, from the Forest Industry Organisation and the elephant conservation centre in Lampang province, will be on the same flight, to make sure that the over five-hour journey is smooth and safe for the elephant.
According to the repatriation plan, Sak Surin will be moved from the Dehiwala Zoo in Colombo to Colombo international airport at 2am local time. The flight will depart at about 7am. The plane is scheduled to touch down in Chiang Mai at about 1pm local time on the same day and will be welcomed by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Varawut Silpa-archa.
