When Mosha, an elephant, was two years old, she lost her right front leg after encountering a landmine along the border of Thailand and Burma.
An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Therdchai Jivacate, stepped-in to create a prosthetic leg for the young elephant – a first for a creature of this size. As Mosha has grown into an adult, Dr. Jivacate has remained by her side, fashioning new prostheses to withstand her increasing weight and larger size. The two have a unique bond, and Mosha has gone about living her life in the elephant sanctuary, where staff members can care for her and the prosthesis.
Dr. Jivacate’s work has inspired other sanctuaries around the world to offer the same life-saving interventions for other injured elephants.
In 2016, I met Chhouk the elephant in Cambodia. Like Mosha, he lost one of his front legs at a young age. The animal sanctuary Wildlife Alliance took him in, and developed a prosthetic device to improve his quality of life. You can read more about that in my WheelchairTravel.org article on Chhouk the Amputee Elephant.
Mobility is a key component of quality of life – not just for human beings, but also for elephants. Whether one is independently mobile or with the assistance of mobility equipment, these elephants have shown us that life can be rich and vibrant, with or without a disability.
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