The safe return to Thailand from Sri Lanka of the ailing Thai elephant, Sak Surin, which is known in Sri Lanka as Muthu Raja, on July 2 would not have been possible without the collective efforts of several individuals and agencies.
Among those who made it possible are the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Conservation, the Forest Industry Organization, and the Thai embassy in Colombo.
Worthy of commendation is Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) Sri Lanka, which first raised the alarm a year ago about the conditions that Sak Surin was under at the Aluthgama Kande Vihara temple, which was elephant's home throughout its time in Sri Lanka.
In 2001, Sak Surin and two other elephants were gifted to Sri Lanka, where they were used as carriers in religious ceremonies.
RARE also lobbied Thai officials and campaigned for Sak Surin's return to his home country for medical treatment.
Their campaign led to an initial investigation by Thai embassy officials, who discovered that the elephant was in poor condition and not properly treated.
After Sak Surin returned to Thailand, His Majesty the King also took the elephant under his patronage.
Despite its suffering, Sak Surin is, in many ways, more fortunate than other elephants. He has become a celebrity in Thailand, with people wanting to donate money to support him. The brouhaha over the elephant is so intense that fraudsters have fabricated online websites to scam money from animal lovers.
The same spirit of cooperation and generosity we have witnessed should be extended to wild elephants in Thailand -- estimated at over 4,000 head and scattered in 91 locations, including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, no hunting zones or forest parks, which need help.
The most urgent problem is the increased risk of confrontation and conflict between wild elephants and people, resulting from a shortage of food and water and the disappearance of natural salt licks and grazing grounds in their natural habitats.
Reports of elephants, sometimes in herds of more than 20, venturing out of their forest habitats to forage for food in farms, damaging fruit trees and houses, are becoming more frequent.
Meanwhile, climate change has been blamed for the drying up of more than 400 water sources, many of which are in wild elephant sanctuaries such as the national parks in eastern forest complexes such as Kao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary.
Climate change has also been blamed for the disappearance of grazing grounds and natural salt licks in elephant habitats, forcing elephants to stray for food and water.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has had a campaign to keep the elephants in their habitats by planting food or even building fences or green corridors to create natural barricades.
However, such projects have largely gone nowhere due to a lack of government funding and attention.
That's obviously not good enough. Effective steps must be taken to protect people and their property from straying elephants.
It's no easy task, but with the determination of all parties concerned and the general public, it is achievable that humans and elephants can co-exist peacefully.
