Baby Elephant Gets A Prosthetic Leg After Losing A Limb To A Landmine

Landmines remain active long after conflicts end.

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• May 7, 2022

Currently, there are an estimated 110 million land mines in the ground around the world.  A similar amount is being held in stocks, ready to be planted or destroyed.

Mines cost between $3 and $30, but removing them costs between $300 and $1000. It would cost $50 to $100 billion to remove all existing mines.

If you consider the fact that most of these mines are spread through undeveloped countries with little resources to find and neutralize them, it is clear that they present a huge problem. They can remain active for decades after the war is over and pose a constant threat to humans and animals.

According to the 'International Campaign to Ban Landmines network,' landmines and ERWs kill over 4,200 people each year in numerous countries afflicted by war or in post-conflict situations around the world, with 42 percent of them being children. The number of animals affected is yet unclear.

Mosha is a one-of-a-kind elephant who made history as the first elephant to be fitted with a fully functional prosthetic leg. She was just 7 months old when her leg was amputated by a landmine.

As a result, her spinal column, as well as her other three limbs, were severely strained. Mosha now lives permanently at the Friends of the Eastern Elephant Foundation (FAE) in Thailand, where she also received her prosthetic leg.

The crew is focusing on developing molds for elephants that are still growing.

Mosha was the first elephant to be fitted with a fully functional prosthetic leg.

She was just 7 months old when a landmine took her leg.

When she doesn't have her leg, she can lean against a wall or lean on railings to relieve some strain. Motola, a native who lives at the FAE healthcare center and, like Mosha, has a prosthetic limb, is another of her friends. After Mosha, Motola was the second elephant to receive a prosthetic leg.

Matola, on the other hand, isn't thrilled with her new leg as much as Mosha is. Matola's developing patterns are to blame for this.

Her spine was put under a lot of strain, and something had to be done.

Matola is another elephant that got a prosthetic leg

The process of fitting a leg is not simple due to the elephant's weight.

Watch the video here:

According to Landminefree.org, the areas that are most affected by landmines are Egypt (23 million, mostly in border areas); Iran (16 million); Angola (9-15 million); Afghanistan (about 10 million); Iraq (10 million); China (10 million); Cambodia (up to 10 million); Mozambique (about 2 million); Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-3 million); Croatia (2 million); Somalia (up to 2 million in the north); Eritrea (1 million); and Sudan (1 million) (1 million).

Until recently, roughly 100 000 mines were removed each year, with about two million more planted. It is clear that the overall number of mines in the ground is increasing over time, and the problem will only become bigger.

Mines are cheap to make and easy to plant. That's why it is highly unlikely armies will give up using them.

Damjan