Thailand to rescue stranded elephants

Thailand to rescue stranded elephants

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand dispatched a ship on Friday to rescue five elephants stranded in Indonesia by the regional economic crisis, officials said.

The ship carrying 14 veterinarians and mahouts left from the resort island of Phuket and will return with the elephants in a few days, an official at the prime minister's office, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, said.

"They will travel to Medan to collect the elephants and will arrive back in Phuket on Tuesday or Wednesday," Yongyuth said.

Thailand sent six elephants and 12 mahouts to the Indonesian island of Sumatra in October last year on a 10-year contract paying a monthly wage of 10,000 baht (US$277).

They were employed to help locals train and handle wild elephants from the Indonesian forests, but the deal turned sour after it became clear that Indonesia could no longer afford to pay their wages.