Mosha the Asian elephant was only seven months old when she stepped on a landmine in her native Thailand. Though Thailand is a beautiful country full of diverse wildlife and culture, the Thailand-Mynmar border is littered with landmines–the legacy of decades of governmental and guerrilla warfare in the region.
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Though Mosha survived the explosion, the juvenile elephant was permanently scarred. Mosha lived for two years with three legs to stand on, until the fateful day that Therdchai Jivacate of the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation–the world’s first elephant hospital–found her and took her in.
“When I saw Mosha, I noticed that she had to keep raising her trunk into the air in order to walk properly,” Jivacate told Motherboard, explaining that the injured elephant had to put most of her 1,300 pounds onto just her one front leg.
Jivacate used his experience as an orthopedic surgeon to construct a prosthetic leg for Mosha that would help support her 1,300 pound bulk. The duo has developed quite the bond over the years, and Jivacate suspects the old adage rings true, an elephant never forgets.
“I think she knows that I make her prosthetic legs as each time I come to the elephant hospital she makes a little salute by raising her trunk in the air,” Jivacate said.
Check out their incredible story in the video below!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyp4alF7iL0
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