Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand have bestowed an honour upon Don Upul Jayarathna Denelpitiyage, a Sri Lankan mahout, in recognition of his unyielding care for the recuperating Thai elephant, Sak Surin (also known as ‘Muthu Raja’), Thai media reported.
The elephant is currently in 30-day quarantine in Lampang province of Thailand, following his flight from Sri Lanka on 02 July. Thai Air Marshal Pakdee Saengchuto, serving as the King’s deputy private secretary, represented the royals on Thursday as he presented a gift to Denelpitiyage, who works for the Dehiwala Zoo. The Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced this via its Facebook page yesterday. The ceremonial presentation was carried out at the premises of the ministry, with its Permanent Secretary Jatuporn Buruspat and Denelpitiyage in attendance. Denelpitiyage was part of the official Thai delegation that journeyed from Sri Lanka to Thailand, where the task of caring for Sak Surin was taken up by the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. The Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had invested approximately US$ 700,000 in taking care of the 30-year-old Sak Surin and in ensuring his medical repatriation to Thailand.