"Khao Tom, a two-month-old elephant, plays with a wildlife officer, nudging his face and curling her trunk around his wrist. When she lifts her trunk in the air, signalling that she is hungry, the team at the rescue centre seems relieved she has not been eating well. A vet prepares a pint-sized bottle of formula, which she gulps down impatiently."
"We didn't think she would make it, says Natthanon Panpetch, senior veterinarian and director of the Bueng Chawak wildlife rescue centre. The calf had abrasions all over her body where her mother had tried to drag her through the forest to keep up with the herd and a digestive infection had left her extremely weak. She survived thanks to round-the-clock care and a diet of rice porridge khao tom in Thai."
Khao Tom, a two-month-old elephant, was rescued from a farming area inside Lam Khlong Ngu national park after being born with a congenital disorder affecting her knees. She had abrasions where her mother tried to drag her and developed a digestive infection that left her extremely weak. Veterinary staff provided round-the-clock care, feeding her rice porridge and formula and treating injuries. Public supporters sent toys, formula and donations to the Bueng Chawak wildlife rescue centre. Media-reported cases across south and south-east Asia show a rise in abandoned or lost elephant calves, from about two per year to 14 in 2025.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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