Muthu Raja: Thai elephant’s recovery promising 

The health of a 30-year-old male Thai elephant Sak Surin (also known as ‘Muthu Raja’) appears promising despite a recent diagnosis of five separate tumours.

The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre based in Lampang noted Sak Surin’s surprisingly resilient recovery.

After spending 22 years on non-native grounds in Sri Lanka, Sak Surin was returned home and admitted to the Centre’s Elephant Hospital for care on July 2.

The rehabilitation centre has since been running a series of health and behavioural assessments on the towering beast, finding overall encouraging signs of improvement.

Sak Surin’s dietary regime rotates mostly around veggie-friendly options such as fresh cuts of grass and succulent fruit, consuming between 120 and 200 kilograms daily.

Despite his ailments, Sak Surin has shown promising signs of adaptation. His sleep pattern remains consistent with 1-3 hours of sleep occurring twice each night.