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Sunday July 9, 2006-
(Source from The Star, Malaysia) www.thestar.com.my
BY SIMON KHOO
TEMERLOH: Seventeen-month-old elephant Mardos is
showing signs of recovering from his fractured legs.
Mardos has been eating and sleeping well despite being put on
drips and his legs supported by a splint, said Department of
Wildlife and National Parks veterinarian Dr Abraham Mathew.
Mardos slipped and fractured its legs while being transported
with an adult elephant for a show at a school on July 1.
Dr Abraham said it was too early to gauge the recovery rate
and an evaluation would be made in six weeks.
“Since this is just the first week, we can’t really give a
definite description of the extent of Mardos’ injuries.
“As long as he is eating and resting well, we are confident
Mardos will pull through,” he said at the National Elephant
Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah, about 40km from here.
Dr Abraham said Mardos’ trainer, Prem Kumar, 25, had been by
his side daily to keep him company.
He said it was quite difficult for Mardos in the few days
after his fall as he was in pain and needed emotional support.
“Luckily, Mardos is attached to Prem Kumar who has been
taking care of him since he was rescued from a well,” he said.
On the average, Mardos consumes about 20 litres of milk a
day, together with a mixture of banana, rice, sugar and fruits.
“We also feed him banana stems and help him to do some
‘standing’ exercises,” he said.
Mardos now weighs about 360kg.
Dr Abraham said Mardos would likely be walking with a
permanent limp due to the injuries.
He said there was nothing much they could do as the elephant
was injured around the knees and this made corrective surgery
difficult.
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