Ailing Thai jumbo Sak Surin is in 30-day quarantine at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang province after being flown from Sri Lanka to Chiang Mai on Sunday.
Varawut Silpa-archa, the caretaker minister of natural resources and environment, said that after the plane with Sak Surin landed at Chiang Mai airport at 2.03pm on Sunday, the elephant was taken by truck to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang that evening.
The male elephant was immediately put in quarantine and will be closely monitored for disease for at least 30 days, as required by Livestock Department regulations, he said.
Mr Varawut said the elephant appeared normal when he arrived at the centre.
Sak Surin is now under the care of officials from several agencies, including veterinarians and mahouts, so he can be assured of a complete rest before going into the rehabilitation process. The elephant will also have the time to adjust to the Thai mahouts, the Thai language and the environment he had been away from for over 20 years.
People who want to see Sak Surin can do so at the centre in Lampang, but only on closed-circuit television.
During the 30-day quarantine, the centre will arrange live streaming of the elephant on the centre's fanpage twice a day, from 2pm-2.30pm and 4.30pm-5pm, he said, but did not say when the live broadcast would begin.
Mr Varawut said the centre will also make a video of the elephant being cared for in quarantine for future viewing.
After completing quarantine and fully recovering, the elephant will be available for public viewing. The centre will announce when, he said.
Asked whether Sak Surin would be returned to Sri Lanka after recovering from his ailments, Mr Varawut said he would rather not talk about this for now. It was still not known whether the elephant would completely heal, or when. The focus for now would be on his treatment by veterinarians.
The elephant centre director, Suratchai Inwiset, said Sak Surin appeared fresh on Monday morning, ate more food and excreted normally. He said the elephant must not be disturbed throughout the quarantine period.
Sak Surin is one of three Thai elephants gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 as a goodwill ambassador for the country. He had changed hands many times before ending up at Aluthgama Kande Viharaya in the south of Sri Lanka, where he carried holy relics during annual Buddhist parades.
A Sri Lanka-based animal protection organisation, Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (Rare), learned that the elephant was being kept in leg chains and had injuries all over his body. It insisted the Thai government bring the elephant back for treatment and sanctuary.
Planning for his repatriation took six months, with the cooperation of both governments and the Thai embassy in Colombo. About 19.5 million baht in emergency budget funding was spent on the elephant's repatriation.
