Rescued Elephant Returns to Thailand on Jumbo Flight

A Thai elephant named Muthu Raja, gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001, has been flown back to Thailand after allegations of mistreatment and neglect. Thai authorities demanded the return of the 29-year-old elephant last year, and it was flown out from Colombo airport on a one-way commercial flight costing $700,000. Muthu Raja will be quarantined at a nature reserve in Chiang Mai upon arrival. Animal welfare groups had raised concerns about the elephant's condition, and a nationalist group in Sri Lanka staged a demonstration opposing its repatriation.