On 2 July 2023 at 07.00 hrs. the Tusker, Muthu Raja (Sak Surin), was transported from Sri Lanka to Thailand for medical treatment and rehabilitation by Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane, with cooperation from the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand and the relevant authorities of Sri Lanka. The Tusker arrived safely at Chiangmai International Airport, Thailand, on the same day, and later been transported by a truck to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC) in Lampang Province, which he will be quarantined within a special area for 30 days before the next stage of his medical treatment and reintroduction to Thailand.

Multi-sector cooperation and coordination among relevant authorities of both the Thai and Sri Lankan sides is key to the success of this mission. 

#ThailandSrilankafriendship #Muthuraja #Saksurin