Elephants in Thailand need help. When they lose a leg and can no longer walk, here are the prostheses that save them. Therdchai Jivacate is an inventor surgeon who over the course of his career has made more than 20 prostheses to help animals and to save injured Asian elephants.
Elephants in Thailand need help. When they lose a leg and can no longer walk, here are the prosthesis that save them. Therdchai Jivacate is an inventor surgeon who over the course of his career has made more than 20 prostheses to help animals and to save injured Asian elephants.
He also created prosthetics for poor people who needed medical help and assistance as well as for small animals such as dogs, cats and birds. In recent years, however, he has specialized in prosthetics for elephants.
Specifically the surgeon creates artificial legs that allow the Asian elephants that have suffered accidents to start walking again.
He built the first prosthesis when he met Age, a two-year-old elephant that had lost a leg to a mine explosion while being exploited for illegal timber transport. Now he works with the Friends of the Asian Elephant association that works to help injured and sick elephants.
Read also: THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND ELEPHANTS TOURISM IN THAILAND
Despite the initial annoyance, Mosha learned to walk with its new artificial paw after only 12 hours. Over the past six years, the surgeon has had to build new, larger implants to accommodate Mosha's size and growth. The elephant now weighs about 2000 kg.
Read also: ELEPHANTS TORTURED BECAUSE TOURISTS CAN RIDE THEM: A PETITION TO SAY STOP TO ABUSE (PHOTO)
The Friends of the Asian Elephant organization has given birth to a real one elephant hospital who has taken care of more than 4000 specimens over the last 23 years. Severely injured elephants, such as Mosha, are full-time guests at the facility. Mosha currently lives with four other elephants and her keeper is always next to her in the adjacent room.
Marta Albè
Fonte foto: Friends of the Asian Elephant
