Plai Sak Surin eating well, sleeping well and free of disease, says vet

The elephant is being quarantined at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang.

Saran Chansittivej, a veterinarian tending to the elephant, said on Sunday that blood and stool tests found Plai Sak Surin free of the following diseases:

• Trypanosoma evansi and parasites

• Virus that causes tuberculosis

• Herpes simplex

• Leptospirosis

• Foot-and-mouth disease

• Brucella abortus.

Saran said the elephant will be in quarantine for 30 days and will be tested again on the 15th and 30th days of the quarantine.

Plai Sak Surin, who was presented to Sri Lanka as a token of goodwill, was repatriated to Thailand on July 2 after an animal rights group raise a hue and cry after noticing injuries on the elephant from apparent maltreatment.

The vet said the jumbo appears in good health and in a good mood. He has a good appetite, consuming between 120 and 200 kilograms of fresh grass and some fruit, plus salt, daily.

The elephant also has good digestion and defecates about 10 to 12 times daily. The vet said the elephant takes about two naps every night and sleeps about two to three hours each time.