Baby Elephant Gets A Prosthetic Leg After Losing A Limb To A Landmine
Landmines leave behind damage long after a war ends, and for one baby elephant in Thailand, that danger changed everything. Mosha was only 7 months old when she lost a leg to a landmine, becoming the first elephant fitted with a fully functional prosthetic limb.
Her injury put serious strain on her spine and remaining legs, but the team at the Friends of the Eastern Elephant Foundation stepped in to help. Mosha now lives there permanently, alongside other elephants with prosthetics, while the foundation keeps working on molds for animals that are still growing.
Her story is heartbreaking, but it also shows how far rescue care can go when an animal gets a second chance.
Mosha was the first elephant to be fitted with a fully functional prosthetic leg.
She was just 7 months old when a landmine took her leg.
When she doesn't have her leg, she can lean against a wall or railings to relieve some strain. Motola, a native who lives at the FAE healthcare center and, like Mosha, has a prosthetic limb, is another of her friends. After Mosha, Motola was the second elephant to receive a prosthetic leg.
Matola, on the other hand, isn't as thrilled with her new leg as Mosha is. Matola's developing patterns are to blame for this.
That same kind of calm-and-care moment reminds us of the vet cradling the petrified puppy after surgery.
Her spine was put under a lot of strain, and something had to be done.
Matola is another elephant that got a prosthetic leg
The process of fitting a leg is not simple due to the elephant's weight.
Watch the video here:
The areas most affected by landmines include Egypt (23 million, mostly in border areas); Iran (16 million); Angola (9-15 million); Afghanistan (about 10 million); Iraq (10 million); China (10 million); Cambodia (up to 10 million); Mozambique (about 2 million); Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-3 million); Croatia (2 million); Somalia (up to 2 million in the north); Eritrea (1 million); and Sudan (1 million). Until recently, approximately 100,000 mines were removed each year, while around two million more were planted, indicating a troubling trend where the overall number of mines in the ground is increasing. Mines are cheap to manufacture and simple to plant, making it highly unlikely that armies will cease their use.
For another heartbreaking animal reunion, watch Mila meet another elephant after 37 years.
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