‘Thanwa,’ lost baby elephant with bad foot, dies at sanctuary

A rescued baby elephant who was being nursed back to health by veterinarians in central Thailand died yesterday. She was only 2-months old.

The calf, called Thanwa, aka December, died shortly after vets at the Bungchawak Wildlife Management Center in Suphanburi province said she was showing signs of improvement, just weeks after she was found alone – elephant herds stick together as families – and limping on an injured foot.

They said Thanwa died early Wednesday morning due to organ failure.

“No more hurting, no more pain, no more suffering,” the center announced at around 8am on Wednesday. “Nong Thanwa, you were great. Always patient and fighting to survive. Rest in peace.”

Lost baby Thai elephant with bad foot recovers at sanctuary (Video)

Veterinarians Laksana Prasitthichai and Thachaphan Leelapta performed an autopsy on the baby elephant and found that it had sustained large wounds above the right eye, as well as to its cheeks, ears, shoulders, elbows, hips, legs, and ankles. They also found organ damage including intestinal bleeding, large amounts of pus found in her lungs, and bleeding in her right kidney.

Due to the severity of organ failure, Thanwa was unable to breathe and digest properly. Samples were taken from Thanwa’s organs in order to determine her specific cause of death.

It was just two days ago on Tuesday, the day before her death, that wildlife officials posted clips of Thanwa attempting to walk, sit and lie down. Though she had trouble moving, her caretakers were optimistic about her prospects as she had put on several kilograms of weight.

Thanwa was found at the Srinakarin Dam National Park in the western province of Kanchanaburi in early December. At the time, she was found dehydrated and was badly injured. Officials had to transport the calf for treatment via helicopter.

Initially, they believed Thanwa’s family would come back for her, but there has been no sign of them, so officials assigned the vet team to care for her.

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Lost baby Thai elephant with bad foot recovers at sanctuary (Video)