LAMPANG — Plai Sak Surin, the famous Thai elephant who was brought back from Sri Lanka for health treatment last year, has growing tusks that concern veterinarians due to potential impact on his neck muscles. The matter is currently under consideration with experts from various sectors.
Plai Sak Surin, a male elephant around 30 years old, lived in Sri Lanka for 21 years before returning to Thailand for treatment. He was flown to Thailand on July 2, 2023, in an underweight condition, shackled, with abscesses on his hip and a crippled left leg.
On November 20, 2024, Dr. Taweepoke Angkawanich, Head of Elephant Conservation at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, National Elephant Institute in Lampang Province, revealed that while Plai Sak Surin’s overall condition has improved, his extremely long tusks are affecting his body structure, particularly the muscles in his head and neck area.
“We’ve observed that the elephant must keep his head lifted while walking due to the long tusks. Therefore, it’s necessary to reduce their length to prevent excessive strain on the neck muscles. We are currently consulting with various medical specialists, and we will plan how to reduce the tusk length without causing other structural impacts,” Dr. Taweepoke said.
Dr. Warangkana Langkaphin, Head of the Elephant Hospital in Lampang, explained that there are various types of elephant tusks, each growing at different rates depending on the elephant’s lifestyle. Wild elephants typically use their tusks for fighting and finding food, causing natural wear, while domesticated elephants’ tusks can grow continuously throughout their lives.
Elephant tusks are comparable to human incisors or front teeth. While human teeth stop growing at a certain point, elephant tusks, like rabbit teeth, continue growing throughout their lives. Elephants that are protective of their tusks and don’t use them for fighting maintain longer tusks, while more playful elephants might break their tusks against trees.
Plai Sak Surin’s tusks are known as “Nga Um Bat” (alms bowl-holding tusks), characterized by their length and curve resembling a monk’s arms holding an alms bowl. According to ancient Sri Lankan beliefs, elephants with such tusks are suitable for carrying Buddha relics.
His tusks exceed 2 meters on both sides. While in Sri Lanka, he had the longest tusks in the country and was used in processions up to 30 times per month. He was kept in short chains, causing his left front leg to become stiff and unable to bend at the knee.
Plai Sak Surin suffered health problems for over 10 years, especially during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis when food was scarce. The conservation group Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) initiated his return to Thailand for treatment.
Currently, Plai Sak Surin has been under the elephant hospital’s care for 1 year and 4 months. Veterinarians are treating his stiff left front leg through X-rays, ultrasound examinations, gait analysis (both instrumental and visual), along with light exercise including straight walking, swimming, and hot compress treatments using herbal compresses or devices such as ultrasound massage and laser therapy.
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