An elephant that was slowly starving to death was found in a bloody state by locals at a closed tourist park in Thailand.
The elephant had bloody sores and was in an emaciated state.
Jumbo elephant Khun Pan was forced to give rides to tourists before the pandemic hit the country and the park was forced to shut down.
55-year-old Lee Pethckla, the owner of the elephant, has admitted the incident.
Lee said that the 37 elephants that they own are all struggling, but Khun Pan is the weakest of them all because of their old age.
Locals discovered the elephant days before their death and locals rushed to alert a veterinary clinic in Pattaya, Thailand.
They rushed to save the elephant.
On February 14, 2021, the medics arrived and found the elephant in a very horrible position.
The elephant was so weak that it was having a hard time standing on its own.
The elephant also had sores all over their body, which was a result of him laying on the ground.
His bones were also seen protruding through their skin.
The tusks of the elephant had also started to weaken out and crack.
Vets were forced to hoist the animal up with leather straps to administer an IV drip.
According to local reports, Khan was given a saline solution so the elephant could be rehydrated and nourished back.
The owner of the elephant said:
The pandemic has meant there are no tourists and I don’t have any income to feed them. I don’t know what else to do. I will try my best to take care of them. I hope they can get proper care from an expert. If there are no more tourists, I will take them back to my village.
The elephant is still at the park and is being nourished back to its old state.
The animal is now feeling better, said local vets.