Vets remove 14 bullets from baby elephant Fah Sai’s front legs
Veterinarians from the Nern Plub Wan Animal Hospital successfully removed 14 bullets from the front legs of wild baby elephant “Fah Sai” on Friday.
The three-month-old elephant had been found on November 28 with severe injuries sustained from gunshots and a snare in Chanthaburi’s Kaeng Hang Maew district.
Her rescuers named her Fah Sai (clear skies) before transporting her to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chonburi’s Pattaya district for treatment.
The vets have had to remove the lower part of her front right leg that had been injured by the snare to prevent ulcers from spreading.
In a surgery that took nearly two hours, vets removed 10 large bullets and four small ones from her legs, though some shrapnel is still lodged in the flesh.
“The shrapnel will come out automatically along with dead skin once her wounds start healing,” said Dr Sunita Wingwon. “During the recovery period, her wounds will have to be dressed every day. Once they are completely dry, she will undergo physical therapy, including swimming, to restore the muscle mass that had been removed during surgery.”
The vet team also reported that Fah Sai’s overall health is improving with her weight rising from 95 kilograms to 112kg.
The young elephant is consuming up to eight litres of milk daily. The milk is being taken from another nursing elephant and mixed with powder milk to boost her immunity.
The vets have also created an artificial foot from foam for Fah Sai to help her get used to prosthetics before they fit her with a permanent one made from rubber.
