Bangkok, Thailand
Mahouts (elephant drivers) sit on top of their mounts while taking part in a fireworks ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s coronation.
Photograph: Sukree Sukplang/Reuters (via guardian.co.uk)
Motala is a 48-year old former working elephant from Thailand (she moved large trees for a living). In 1999, while wandering in the forest looking for food on her lunch break, she accidentally stepped on a land mine left over from the Burmese-Thai war. The mine destroyed her left front foot and most of the leg.
Though her owners tried to save the leg, it was eventually amputated below the knee. In 2006, she got a temporary prothesis to help her learn to walk on what would be a more permanent artificial leg.
This week, Motala was fitted for that leg in Thailand, according to the conservation group Friends of the Asian Elephant. It’s a state-of-the-art upgrade to the temporary prothesis she’s had for the last three years. Early reports show she’s taking to it well.
