This Cambodian elephant named Chuk was very unlucky when it fell into a trap set by poachers.
The elephant lay in the forest; he was terribly emaciated and could die if not indifferent people found him. They sent Chuk, who at that time was only two years old, to the reserve for treatment.
Here is what Nick Marks, a specialist of the international organization “Wildlife Alliance Rescue and Care”, who was one of those who found the dying Chuk, told about it:
“He was so thin, his wound was festering, and he lived only because of his stubborn nature.”
Chuk’s wounded leg had to be amputated, and specialists from the Cambodian Institute of Prostheses and Orthoses made a special prosthesis for him.
Specialists treated the wounded leg of the elephant for a long time, they injected him with painkillers, cleaned the wound and removed the crushed bones.
They were very much afraid that the elephant might not like the prosthesis and he would refuse to wear it. But Chuk quickly got used to it and learned to walk on it, and when the veterinarians took it off, he loudly showed them his displeasure.
And more recently, new prostheses were made for Chuk, which are much easier and more convenient, and it has become easier to put them on the huge elephant.
According to Nick, Chuck became the first Cambodian elephant to walk on a prosthetic.
Now they are trying to fatten the animal, a special diet is prescribed for it, which consists of coconuts, bananas and leaves.
Chuk quickly got used to the people who saved him from imminent death, and especially he made friends with his caretaker named Tam.