Thailand is seeking to strike deals with several veterinarian organisations in Sri Lanka to ensure proper care for Thai ambassador elephants, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said on Wednesday.
The move is in response to mounting concerns over the health and welfare of two more Thai ambassador elephants in Sri Lanka following the repatriation of Sak Surin, he said.
The 30-year-old ailing male elephant is now under the care of the Elephant Hospital at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang province.
It was flown home from Sri Lanka on Sunday after living there for 22 years.
The other two male elephants are Pratu Pha, 49, and Sri Narong, which is about the same age as Sak Surin.
Pratu Pha was sent as a gift to Sri Lanka 37 years ago, while Sak Surin and Sri Narong were sent 22 years ago, also as goodwill gifts.
The veterinary medicine faculty at a university in the Sri Lankan city of Kandy recently contacted the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and expressed a willingness to take care of the remaining Thai elephants and also work with Thai authorities, said the minister.
A Thai veterinarian team, along with Kanchana Silpa-archa, an adviser to the ministry's strategy working group, will travel to Sri Lanka in September to seek further cooperation and sign an MoU with these organisations, Mr Varawut said.
This expected cooperation will benefit not only Thai elephants in Sri Lanka but also other elephants in the country, he said.
Pratu Pha, for one, will likely have to stay on and receive treatment in Sri Lanka as it is now too old to travel to receive treatment in Thailand, he said, citing expert opinions.
During the September visit, Ms Kanchana also intends to visit Sri Narong, said Mr Varawut.
As for Sak Surin, since it is now under His Majesty the King's patronage, there is no need to discuss whether the elephant will have to be returned to Sri Lanka or not, he said.
