CHIANG MAI: The operation to move an 8-year-old elephant named Plai Dok Kaew from the Elephant Conservation and Environment Foundation to a new home faced significant challenges today due to heavy rains and logistical issues. Despite these obstacles, the team remains optimistic about completing the relocation by tonight.
According to Thai News Agency, Plai Dok Kaew, who has been under the foundation’s care for several years at the behest of Ms. Kanchana Silpa-archa, is in good health and showing no signs of stress. A team led by veterinarian Preecha Puangkam, former director of the National Elephant Institute, along with over 20 volunteer elephant handlers, orchestrated the move. However, the elephant truck encountered difficulties when it got stuck in the mud, prompting a change in plans.
The team, in an effort to maintain morale, conducted a ceremony to pay respects to local spirits before attempting to calm Plai Dok Kaew with medication. The next stage of the plan involves using a male elephant to guide
Plai Dok Kaew to the transport truck, which is waiting on a nearby road. The final destination is the Phat Elephant Camp in Ban Pong Subdistrict, Hang Dong District.
The relocation comes after a dispute between Ms. Silpa-archa and Phi Lek-Saengduean Chailert, the foundation’s president, over a recent flooding incident that resulted in the loss of two elephants. The controversy led to a public disagreement on social media, culminating in the decision to move Plai Dok Kaew and another elephant, Plai Khundet, to new locations.