A 29-year-old elephant, Muthu Raja gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 has been flown back, AFP has reported.
The elephant was flown back to Thailand after a diplomatic spat over alleged mistreatment.
According to AFP, the 4,000-kilogram (8,800-pound) mammal flew out from Colombo airport on a one-way commercial flight for repatriation that Thai officials said had cost $700,000.
The Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane carrying Muthu Raja took off around 7:40 am (0210 GMT), the airport manager said.
The Thai royal family gave the elephant as a gift in 2001 to Sri Lanka’s government, which in turn gifted it to the temple where it was named Muthu Raja and given honoured roles in religious processions.
The chief veterinarian at the Dehiwala Zoo, Madusha Perera, told AFP that Muthu Raja was in pain and covered in abscesses when it was rescued from its previous abode last year.
Animal welfare groups said the elephant had been forced to work with a logging crew and its wounds -some allegedly inflicted by its handler - had been neglected.
It is set to undergo hydrotherapy to treat a remaining injury when it returns to Thailand.
