Baby elephant injured by land mine is given prosthetic leg

(NECN/APTV) – A three-year-old elephant who lost her right front leg when she stepped on a landmine was successfully fitted with a new prosthetic limb on Saturday. The Friends of Asian Elephants foundation attached the new leg to Mosha, was only seven months old the accident happened in Myanmar, not far from the Thai border. Immediately after she lost her leg she was sent to the Lampang elephant hospital and in 2008 her first artificial leg was fitted, allowing her to walk again. Because Mosha is still only young, she has now outgrown that old limb. Her new leg can be adjusted as she grows. A second female elephant who stepped on a land mine 10 years ago and endured painful operations is also to be fitted for a permanent artificial leg. Motola’s injury sparked international sympathy and donations, and in Thailand the 48-year-old pachyderm became a symbol of the plight of elephants. Experts were making a cast of her injured left front leg on Saturday for a plastic prosthetic limb which will be attached on Sunday.