Footage shows ailing elephant Sak Surin recovering this morning, July 3, following his rescue and return to Thailand from an allegedly abusive temple in Sri Lanka.

The Asian elephant travelled top Chiang Mai province on the Russian Ilyushin Il-76 freighter. The plane took off from Sri Lanka and landed shortly after 2 pm local time in Thailand on Sunday, July 2.

Sak Surin was one of three jumbos gifted by the Royal Family to Sri Lanka in 2001 where he spent two decades in a Buddhist temple, being renamed Muthu Raja and given honored roles in religious processions.

However, activists claim Sak Surin was neglected and abused. Zoo staff admitted he had two 'large absences' and a leg injury that they could not treat.

Thai government officials spent around 700,000 USD diplomatically organising the safe return of Sak Surin for medical treatment. Campaigners are also pushing for the return of the other two elephants gifted to Sri Lanka.

Vets have this week been preparing for the arduous flight by letting the ivory-tusked bull become familiar with a customized metal shipping container due to be loaded onto a truck at the Dehiwala Zoo in Colombo before being driven to the Colombo International Airport and loaded not a plane at 2am local time on July 2.

A flight will then take Sak Surin to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, with officials expecting him to reach at around 7am local time.

The elephant is said to be in good condition and appears to be happy, according to Thai officials in Sri Lanka. The container has been cushioned and has windows for feeding the bull bananas, pumpkin and sugar cane during the flight.

Four mahouts and two veterinarians, from the Forest Industry Organisation and the elephant conservation centre in Lampang province, will be on the same flight, to ensure the over five-hour journey is smooth and safe for the elephant.

The journey comes following claims by activist group Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) that Sak Surin was being mistreated, including that he had a stiff leg from a long-neglected injury.

They lobbied last year for the intervention of Thai government officials, who diplomatically asked religious leaders at the Kande Viharaya temple to allow the animal's return to Thailand for medical treatment.

RARE founder Panchali Panapitiya said: 'This is not the end, but the beginning of a new life for Muthu Raja.'