Optimal management to improve quality of life for an injured baby elephant: Thailand multidisciplinary care team

Abstract

This article aimed to report the care, management, and monitoring of an injured female baby elephant. The collaboration among the multidisciplinary team included veterinary medicines, elephant handling, engineering, and physical therapy in the 3-year-old elephant with its left forelimb phalanges amputated through being caught in a snare trap. The management comprised medical wound care, nutrition and applying a prosthetic shoe. The kinematic parameters and vital sign monitoring were analysed. The results show that biomechanics gait analysis and physiological responses revealed promising benefit of the prosthetic shoe by reflecting a greater symmetrical gait pattern without dyspnea and no sign of exertion during daily life activity.