Mosha: The First Elephant With A Prosthetic Leg

Technology, if used properly, could be the thing that can help not only humans, but animals, have better lives. One such use of technology is for animals to become mobile again after having their limbs cut off.

An Asian elephant named Mosha lost her right foreleg from a landmine explosion at two and a half years old. She lost her right foreleg, which was cut just below her knees. It was around the time that she was spotted by Therdchai Jivacate, a surgeon who designs prosthetic legs for humans and animals through the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation in Thailand.

Science Alert said that Mosha was the first elephant in the world to have been blessed with a prosthetic leg. Jivacate said about the elephant, "When I saw Mosha, I noticed that she had to keep raising her trunk into the air in order to walk properly."

This led him to take on the challenge of making a prosthetic leg for the elephant. Despite the problems that came along the way, he was able to make a 15-kilogram leg made of thermoplastic, steel, and elastomer to fit his gigantic mammalian friend.

Mosha has gone through nine prosthetic forelegs in the past six years - she had to be taken in from time to time to fit for a leg that could cope with her increasing weight and size. So far, Jivacate is still in the pursuit of a perfect prosthetic for her, with materials that are more durable and more resistant to wear, fitting of a growing elephant.

If it's true what they say about elephants, though, Digital Trends think that Mosha will never forget Jivacate. In fact, he shared with Motherboard, "I think she knows that I make her prosthetic legs as each time I come to the elephant hospital she makes a little salute by raising her trunk in the air."