The tortoise gets a fiberglass belly and the elephant a prosthetic leg

Last week i was reading that a tortoise had undergone an operation that removed four bladder stones and fitted it with a fiberglass underbelly (via SF Gate) and now comes the story of a Thai elephant who lost a foot after stepping on a landmine six years ago and who is now wearing a temporary limb, which looks like a boxing bag and is filled with wood shavings.

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“She has been very cooperative and I think when we put more weight on it, then she could finally stretch out the muscles and the tendons and we hope she will finally put the weight on it,” said Soraida Salwala founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant‘s hospital.

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The prosthesis will be attached each day for seven hours to let Motala practice walking. If all goes well, a heavier limb made from fibreglass and silicone will be fitted within six to eight months.

Via BBC News. More pictures.

Related: Fuji, the cyborg dolphin.