An elephant calf lost half her leg after getting snared in a hunter’s game trap — and amazingly learned to walk again.
A six-month-old elephant named Fah Jam, meaning “Clear Sky”, got her leg caught in a hunting trap out laid outside of a small village in Thailand. Locals found her starving and in critical medical condition. Veterinarians were forced to remove part of her leg in order to ensure her survival.
There were complications healing Clear Sky’s appendage as she was not comfortable putting weight on the applied prosthesis. The baby elephant was transported to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand, just a few hours outside of Bangkok. Their animal hospital is equipped with the proper physical rehabilitation facilities needed to help strengthen the weakened muscles in her leg.
Veterinarians are using hydrotherapy to assist her recovery process. Clear Sky is routinely placed in a swimming harness capable of holding her above the water, thoroughly wetted down in an acclimatization process, and then accompanied into a pool with multiple attendants. In the water, she is encouraged to move her body on her own accord. The exercise forces her to painlessly utilize her injured foot and helps to rebuild the muscles in her leg.
Clear Sky is the first elephant to undergo hydrotherapy at this location. The treatment could take up to two months but is already rebuilding muscle and improving her leg’s range of movement. Experts predict she will be able to walk again without the use of her prosthesis.
Tens of thousands of animals are injured or killed in hunting snares on an annual basis.
