Wildlife activists are particularly concerned that four of the tuskers were not born to domesticated elephants. They say it is suspicious that the original papers for these animals have disappeared. One of the animals is reportedly listed as having a father from Mae Hong Son and a mother from Chumphon, but being born in Surin. It's possible, but such curious details have created suspicions that the animal's registration certificates might have been tampered with to hide its wild origin.

Australian zoo officials' reluctance to replace any of the eight pachyderms is understandable, as these are social animals that have already bonded over their many months together at the holding centre. The officials are keen on elephants that are sociable and used to interaction with humans. And the deal has been "sold" to the Australian public as a vital conservation programme - that life in a specially designed zoo is preferable to possibly being used to beg on Bangkok's crowded streets.

But the ZPO's refusal to allow DNA tests gives the impression it has something to hide in regard to how it obtained the elephants. The Australian zoos paid good money to the ZPO - Bt400,000-450,000 per elephant - and they appear to have taken the word of Thai officials and mahouts that all of them are domesticated animals.

The Australian government has offered assurance that the deal was consistent with the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, under which elephants are an endangered species. The zoos want the elephants as public exhibits as well as part of a breeding programme, which would be Australia's contribution to preservation of the species.

Under the agreement signed in July 2004, the Australian zoos have made cash donations towards a veterinary facility for elephants and offered technical assistance in wildlife conservation. They are also expected to provide a variety of indigenous Australian wildlife to Thai zoos - such as koalas, kangaroos and wombats. Sydney's Taronga Zoo, which hopes to take delivery of five elephants, and the Melbourne Zoo, which will take the other three, say they are spending around AUS$40 million (Bt1.1 billion) on this exchange. This includes a new enclosure complete with hot and cold bathing areas, elephant exercise equipment, waterfalls and ponds and specially designed "sleeping mounds".

The problem stems largely from the fact that the elephant exchange was arranged by the Thaksin government, which has been plagued by corruption scandals and the prime minister's penchant for shady deals that smack of blatant conflicts of interest. This exchange is seen as one of several dodgy animal deals linked directly to Thaksin and one of his pet projects - the Chiang Mai Night Safari Park in his home province.

One way out of this quandary is for the ZPO to come clean on the way it obtained the elephants. Any ZPO officials found to have been involved in any wrongdoing must be punished. Both the ZPO and the Australian zoos, which insist they entered the deal in good faith and have kept their end of the bargain, should also give joint consent for DNA tests to be conducted on the four animals whose origins are most in doubt, if not all of them. The tests should only take a few weeks.

The Australian zoos must take it upon themselves to prove beyond reasonable doubt to both Thais and Australians that they have not in any way been involved in shady dealing with the Thaksin government, which has shown little respect for transparent processes or sincere effort to protect Thailand's endangered wildlife.