Help Rangers Protect Endangered Cambodian Wildlife

You may remember that in December we raised funds to buy a new shoe for our disabled elephant, Chhouk. We are ecstatic to report that, thanks to your generosity, we are in the process of building and fitting Chhouk’s new shoe. We have been working in collaboration with the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) and Exceed Worldwide, and Chhouk’s new shoe will be delivered soon!

So far, the team from CSPO have visited Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre twice over the last month. On their first visit, they measured Chhouk’s leg and made the cast for the prosthesis. They returned two weeks later, at the end of December, to test if the prosthesis fits and make any necessary adjustments. This time they brought with them 10 local students, who are part of their training program, for this great learning opportunity.

At the second fitting, the team noticed that Chhouk’s gait had already changed in such a short period of time. Now that he is a bit older, his gait is changing quickly due to the discomfort he feels, which causes him to move around frequently. Due to this, the orignal measurements for the prosthesis were no longer viable, and team had to re-measure and make changes to the prosthetic shoe.

Now that these changes have been made, the final fitting of the shoe will take place on Saturday, 17^th January; we will be sure to provide you with updates on how this goes, and pictures of Chhouk in his new shoe! We are so grateful for your support in making this happen, now Chhouk can live with greater comfort and ease.

P.S. we recently opened a new project on GlobalGiving, to support rangers in protecting their local forest and endangered wildlife from illegal hunting. We would be so grateful if you could help us launch this project with a donation.