A three-month-old elephant calf that sustained bullet wounds and then became trapped in a snare has been moved to an animal nursery at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chon Buri for further medical treatment.
Villagers spotted the elephant calf entangled in the snare in Khao Sip Ha Chan National Park in Kaeng Hang Maeo district of Chanthaburi on Monday.
Rescuers and veterinarians from Protected Areas Regional Office 2 rushed to the scene to save the elephant calf's life.
Due to its wounds, staff decided to keep the animal on the premises and later sent it to Nong Nooch Pattaya Garden for further treatment on Wednesday night.
Dr Padet Siridamrong, the director of Nern Plubwan Animal Hospital, yesterday said the calf's wounds were quite severe, similar to a previous case with another calf known as "Fah Jam" in 2017.
An X-ray showed that its left leg contained 10 bullets, some of which had hit the bone. Veterinarians will need to operate to prevent septicaemia.
Its right leg was entangled after it fell into the snare. For this, vets have removed necrotic tissue using laser treatment, before administering antibiotics and painkillers.
Nong Nooch Pattaya Garden president Kampon Tansacha said he has named elephant "Kwak Rak".
The garden has a mother elephant that can provide milk for the calf.