Bangkok, Thailand — A Thai elephant that attracted worldwide attention when its foot was amputated after it stepped on a land mine has been fitted with a temporary prosthesis, a wildlife conservation worker said Sunday.
The 44-year-old female elephant, Motola, is expected to wear the lightweight, canvas shoe-like device for five to eight months until her leg is strong enough to carry a heavier, permanent one, said Soraida Salwala, founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in northern Thailand.
Motola was injured in 1999 while working at a logging camp near the border with neighboring Myanmar, a region peppered with land mines after a half-century of insurgency. Her mangled, left front foot was subsequently amputated, and she has hobbled on three feet since.
Veterinarians have been attaching the sawdust-filled prosthesis to Motola daily since Aug. 10 as a therapeutic measure to help prepare her for a permanent prosthesis made from fiberglass and silicone, she said.
In the meantime, the current prosthesis may be replaced by a heavier one, perhaps filled with sand, to further exercise and strengthen the elephant's leg muscles and tendons before veterinarians attempt to attach the permanent one, she added.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.