Chhouk's New Foot - Step-by-Step
$April 30, 2009
Originally Published by Wildlife Alliance
The recovery of our little bull elephant who lost his foot to a snare has been remarkable. When I first laid eyes on Chhouk up in Mondulkiri in March 2007, I was worried. He was so thin and sick. I felt the little chap had no chance of survival. We transported the youngster to Phnom Tamao and between us all – vet Nhim Thy, keepers Sitheng, Tam and Sarim, and our husbandry staff- he recovered. Chhouk is now a happy little fat fellow and the time has come to proceed with the next part of his rehabilitation – the provision of a prosthetic foot.
Chhouk is off balance due to the lack of a limb and already his right leg is bowing out slightly around the shoulder under the extra weight it is carrying. As far as we know elephants have been fitted with prostheses only twice before and it is not an exact science. We contacted Cathy McConnell of the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics based in Phnom Penh, and Dr. Paolo Martelli, head vet at Ocean Park Zoo in Hong Kong, who has had great success treating injured elephant calves. Both were happy to help and we met in February to assess the situation. Paolo took X-rays of Chhouk's leg to determine if there were any structural matters that might cause discomfort or difficulties, while Cathy and her team took casts of the leg. There had been talk that we might need to sedate Chhouk for this, but this proved unnecessary. Chhouk remained fully conscious throughout while I fed him a steady stream of turnips and bananas and Mr. Tam whispered sweet nothings in his ear.
March 28th was the big day, when the first prosthesis was to be fitted. We were a little apprehensive as to how things might progress. Would we need to sedate Chhouk? Would the foot fit him? Would he react badly to having this strange object attached to his leg? In the end, we need not have worried. Sitheng trimmed away some of the callous that had built up and the prosthesis was pulled on. Chhouk seemed unconcerned. He had not been fed that day in case sedation was needed. We gave him some turnips and bananas and all his worries about his new foot were forgotten. One month later, Chhouk is still going strong. So long as he has food or something else to occupy his time and his mind he is not bothered about the prosthesis. There are some small alterations needed, and time and wear and tear will mean that a regular supply of "shoes" will need to be fitted, but the expertise and dedication we now have at our disposal have ensured that Chhouk is no longer hobbling through the forest as he makes his way to his pool. They say on the stage, "Never work with children or animals." Chhouk is both, but to date he has confounded the old adage. Despite all our worries, Chhouk took the journey from Mondulkiri to Phnom Tamao two years ago in his stride. His severe injury healed quickly, he has gained weight and grown around 20 inches in 2 years. When we took casts of his leg and ultimately fitted his "shoe," we were sure we would need to sedate him. How wrong we were. Nothing has phased the little elephant. He is now calm and confident with the people he knows, though he can still get a little boisterous with strangers – and why not? Our keepers deserve great credit for much of his success. They have been firm but gentle throughout, led by the skilled hand of Try Sitheng, our largely self-taught 'mahout' par excellence. However we must not forget the character and determination of the patient also. A lesser spirit might not have survived the ordeal. Our most sincere thanks go to all those who have helped us get this far – with funding, veterinary care, animal husbandry expertise, advice and much more – but most of all it is thanks to Chhouk, whose resilience and personality has actually made such a difficult problem absolutely no trouble at all. Written by Nick Marx, Cambodia Wildlife Rescue Director |
