A woman who has been dubbed a "Jungle Doctor" is being showered with praise for fitting prosthetic legs on injured elephants.
As reported by 7News, Dr. Chloe Buiting, an Australian vet, has been helping badly injured elephants who have wandered into landmines on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Dr. Buiting began her work in 2018 when she shadowed Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE), a vet team in Chiang Mai who treated the elephants' abscesses.
Using state-of-the-art technology, prosthetics are manufactured for the wounded elephants, many of whom would have been put to sleep due to their injuries.
The Jungle Doctor told 7News: "The hospital does groundbreaking work that helps elephants who have lost their legs from landmines."
This is Mosha, the first elephant to receive a prosthetic leg:She added: "With the help of prostheses elephants can learn to walk again and live full lives that would have otherwise been impossible. My time with them was an experience that I will never forget."
Dr. Buiting, who goes by "Jungle Doctor" on Instagram, explained in a post: "Rather than keeping the prosthetic leg on around the clock, we removed the prostheses at night and re-fitted each morning. To do this, the leg is first coated in talcum powder before a protective sock is applied.
"Then, the padded prosthetic is fitted to the site, adjusted and tightened with a ratchet system. And, just like that, they’re ready to go! It gives the elephants quality of life that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to have."
A number of wildlife lovers have taken to the comments of Dr. Buiting's Instagram posts to praise her for her work, with one writing: "Thank you all for helping the beautiful elephants!"
Another wrote: "Keep up your beautiful work. What a gift you are," before a third shared: "Well done to this veterinary team. Thanks to them for taking care of his great animals."
The doting vet previously spent a number of years working with elephants and various other wild animals in Africa.
"Some of the most amazing moments have come from my time in Africa," Dr. Buiting told 7News. "I was fortunate enough to work with a range of species, from elephants to rhinos and many others."
She added: "It’s just an incredible experience to work with such majestic animals."
The Thailand-based medic went onto explain: "Sadly, a lot of animals there are facing severe pressures. From habitat loss to wildlife crime and animals being sold on the black market, Africa can truly be a brutal place."
Well done to Dr. Buiting and FAE for their incredible work!
