Pictures: Rescued Baby Elephant Gets New Footwear and a Chance to be a Kid Again
By Dominick Mezzapesa - Wildlife Planet
Who can resist a baby Asian elephant? Well, there are the idiots in Thailand and a few other places like Kerala, India where they only see a tourist attraction and money to be made.
For the rest of the world that has feelings and treat animals with respect. When we see a baby elephant we behold an adorable, infectiously happy, curious and incredibly lovable baby.
In Thailand, taking these baby elephants from the wild and selling them into trekking camps and other animal attractions has become an all too common practice.
These calves are subjected to a brutal “breaking” period where they are beaten and abused till all the joy leaves them and only a zombie remains that's only function is to “obey” their human abusers. After they are abused to the point where there is no hint of spirit remaining they are then taught to perform tricks or carry tourists on their backs.
Thankfully, there are breaks of sunshine and light in this part of the globe and one of these brilliant points of light is the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary for elephants who are former victims of this industry and others.
At the sanctuary, the elephants' are never exploited or used for entertainment, but are free to live life on their own terms and enjoy the company of the herd that resides there.
One of the elephants that was rescued and now has the freedom to return to being a fat playful little kid that elephant calves are meant to be is Little Khun Dej.
The time spent with those evil people had injured Little Khun Dej foot and with an exposed wound and the rainy season quickly approaching the wounded foot can quickly become infected and that would spell a whole lot of trouble for our little boy wonder.
Luckily For our little bundle of joy the park has an amazing group of vets that take care of all the elephants health needs. They fashioned a specially designed boot just for Khun Dej. Now he has the freedom and people that love and care for him, so he can now act like all kids do, run, play and bounce around the sanctuary with nothing but chasing butterflies on his mind.
Here are some amazing pictures courtesy of the park.
Who can resist a baby Asian elephant? Well, there are the idiots in Thailand and a few other places like Kerala, India where they only see a tourist attraction and money to be made.
For the rest of the world that has feelings and treat animals with respect. When we see a baby elephant we behold an adorable, infectiously happy, curious and incredibly lovable baby.
In Thailand, taking these baby elephants from the wild and selling them into trekking camps and other animal attractions has become an all too common practice.
These calves are subjected to a brutal “breaking” period where they are beaten and abused till all the joy leaves them and only a zombie remains that's only function is to “obey” their human abusers. After they are abused to the point where there is no hint of spirit remaining they are then taught to perform tricks or carry tourists on their backs.
Thankfully, there are breaks of sunshine and light in this part of the globe and one of these brilliant points of light is the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary for elephants who are former victims of this industry and others.
At the sanctuary, the elephants' are never exploited or used for entertainment, but are free to live life on their own terms and enjoy the company of the herd that resides there.
One of the elephants that was rescued and now has the freedom to return to being a fat playful little kid that elephant calves are meant to be is Little Khun Dej.
The time spent with those evil people had injured Little Khun Dej foot and with an exposed wound and the rainy season quickly approaching the wounded foot can quickly become infected and that would spell a whole lot of trouble for our little boy wonder.
Luckily For our little bundle of joy the park has an amazing group of vets that take care of all the elephants health needs. They fashioned a specially designed boot just for Khun Dej. Now he has the freedom and people that love and care for him, so he can now act like all kids do, run, play and bounce around the sanctuary with nothing but chasing butterflies on his mind.
Here are some amazing pictures courtesy of the park.