An elephant who lost his foot to a snare when he was only a year old can walk, run and swim again now he’s been fitted with a prosthetic.
Chhouk, an 11-year-old Asian elephant, was taken in by the Wildlife Alliance, a conservation organisation in Cambodia.
The organisation is partnered with Paradise Wildlife Park, a UK-based group which helped to fund the prosthetic foot, which is made out of old tyres and other recycled materials.
Cam Whitnall runs Paradise Wildlife Park and Big Cat Sanctuary and, along with his family, supports animal welfare causes worldwide.
Cam, 27, said: ‘It’s amazing – you can’t help but smile.
‘It’s a really special moment, to see what we’re helping to conserve and help, not just Chhouk but all over the world.
‘It’s the best feeling in the world to help animals.
‘The level of care that he gets is brilliant and he has a great life now. There’s no better feeling.’
This isn’t Chhouk’s first prosthetic foot – Paradise Wildlife Park has been funding them for five years, as they have to be remade every six months while he continues to grow in size.
The prosthetic is made at a university in Cambodia and he’s bribed with tasty food to allow keepers to swap out the prosthetic and clean his stump to prevent infection.
Cam, from Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, said: ‘Because he’s still growing, it needs replacing often and we’ve been sending payments to cover that.
‘They’re made out of recycled rubber and some Velcro to tie it up.
‘They weigh about 20kg and we actually got them to send one over and it’s sitting in my office currently.
‘It costs us roughly £1,200 a year to fund.
‘They use food and a clipping mechanism to get him to turn and adjust his body and are then able to give him a thorough look over to make sure there are no issues.’
Cam flew out to Cambodia at the end of last year to meet Chhouk for the first time – and had an unforgettable experience.
‘In the video I’m pretty smiley for good reason – it’s not every day you get to see and help and elephant like that,’ he said.
