An ailing Thai elephant returns home for medical care after years of neglect in Sri Lanka

An ailing elephant that Thailand presented to Sri Lanka more than two decades ago has returned to his native land for medical treatment Sunday following allegations the animal was badly abused while living at a Buddhist temple. The male elephant was flown directly from the South Asian island nation’s capital to northern Thailand on a Russian Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane. A six-person team, including two veterinarians and four mahouts, or professional elephant trainers, accompanied the elephant on the flight, which took about six hours. The 275-centimeter- (9-foot-) tall, 4-ton pachyderm traveled in a specially built container. Video footage of his arrival in Chiang Mai province showed the elephant conscious and appearing calm.