Baby elephant rescued after being shot in the shoulder while leg caught in trap

An injured baby elephant has been rescued and is receiving medical treatment in the eastern province of Chon Buri, according to a Reuters report. Fahsai, whose name means, “fair sky” is thought to be around 3 months old. She was rescued after getting her leg caught in a hunter’s trap and then being shot in the shoulder several times.

The baby elephant was found by passersby on Sunday. Her right foot was caught in the trap and she had a number of gunshot wounds on her shoulder. She was rescued by wildlife officials and is now being cared for by veterinarian Padet Siridumrong.

“We managed to extract a large fragment of a bullet, followed by 2 smaller pieces.”

According to the Reuters report, Fahsai will need to have her wounds treated daily until she’s recovered enough to have surgery to remove fragments of bullet that still remain inside her. She is being given milk from other female elephants at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chon Buri and the plan is to find a mother elephant who will adopt her.

SOURCE: Reuters