MOSHIA, the three-legged elephant

Mosha looks visibly pleased with her new prosthetic leg and begins throwing sand over herself as if in celebration

A three-limbed elephant was given a new lease of life when it was fitted with a brand new prosthetic leg in Thailand.

Mosha, the nine-year-old female elephant, lost her leg when she stepped on a landmine back in 2006.

The MaeYao National Reserve in Lampang, who claim to have built the world’s first elephant hospital, has attached five prosthetic limbs to Mosha since her arrival.

 

  

Approaching the elephant, staff at the MaeYao National Reserve attach the brand new bespoke leg to Mosha

Brought to the hospital at seven-months-old, Mosha became the first elephant in the world to be fitted with an artificial leg.

Since then her continued growth has resulted in staff building a number of increasingly stronger bespoke legs to help support the animal's weight.

In the video the three-legged elephant is initially shown struggling to walk around the enclosure before it rests its stump on a wooden rail.

Staff approach it with the artificial leg and after pulling on a sock, attach it to the elephant’s stump.

Walking off further into the enclosure, Mosha, who appears visibly pleased with the leg, can be seen scooping up sand in her trunk and throwing it over herself as if in celebration.

The Elephant hospital within the MaeYao National Reserve was opened by Soraida Salwala in 1993.

Since then it has treated over 3,900 sick and injured elephants from numerous ailments including broken bones, gunshot wounds, eye infections and drug addictions.