A four-month-old elephant died Thursday night after having been rescued from a forest in Chanthaburi province.
The animal had sustained severe injuries caused by a trap and bullets.
Known as Phang Fasai, the baby elephant was rescued last month and being treated at Pattaya’s Nongnooch Garden. Lack of nutrients from milk led to weakened immunity and contributed to her death.
Phadet Siridamrong, a veterinarian at Nongnooch Garden, wrote on his Facebook page that Phang Fasai died at 9.45pm on Thursday after an hour-long attempt to save her life.
He said she initially responded well to treatment and gradually recovered.
However, she had not received nutrients from elephant milk. Staff at Nongnooch Garden were trying to keep her alive until next month when two elephants at the garden would give birth and there would be enough milk.
The lack of nutrients weakened the elephant’s immunity, leading to complications in her gastrointestinal tract and digestion system. The cause of death was gastrointestinal failure, Mr Phadet said.
The baby elephant was rescued Nov 28 from a forest in the Kaeng Hang Maew district of Chanthaburi.
Her left front leg was badly injured and veterinarians later had to amputate it. In addition to injuries caused by the trap, the elephant also had sustained about 10 bullet wounds to the right front leg.
