A Sri Lankan baby elephant gifted to New Zealand has been prevented from leaving the South Asian island after animal activists said it was cruel to separate her from her family. New Zealand vets had visited Sri Lanka last year to prepare Nandi for the journey to Auckland Zoo.

But animal rights activists have since intervened, arguing against moving the elephant to a foreign country where she will likely find it difficult to be separated from her family and adapt to the new climate. The group of 18 secured a temporary victory Friday when a Sri Lankan court was assured by the state that Nandi would not be flown out of the country pending a final decision on the case next month. Sri Lanka has a long history of giving elephants as presents. China has been gifted three over the years, and two each for Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Auckland Zoo confirmed last year, the baby elephant gifted to New Zealand in Sri Lanka will be joining its elephants Burma and Anjalee. The zoo said it was delighted to welcome a second elephant from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Six-year-old Nandi is the final elephant to come from the orphanage and will increase Auckland Zoo's growing elephant family to three.

President Maithripala Sirisena presented a deed of ownership for Nandi to Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key during a two-day official visit in Colombo last year to mark "excellent bilateral relations" between the two countries.

(Daily Mail, NZ Herald)