IT BREAKS OUR HEART TO BRING YOU THIS STORY. A three-year-old baby elephant at the Phuket Zoo in Thailand has died. His name was “Dumbo.” His name was given to him by animal rights campaigners who filmed him being forced to dance and do tricks for paying tourists.
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Baby elephant Dumbo spent his entire life at the infamous zoo, suffering from constant diarrhea stemming from an untreated infection in his digestive tract. The debilitating infection made his young body unable to absorb nutrients, which in turn caused his bones to become brittle. He became so malnourished that both of his back legs snapped under the weight of his own body.
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Zoo keepers did not realize his legs were broken for THREE DAYS, when they finally took him in for treatment on April 17th. Unfortunately, it was too late, and Dumbo died three days later. A vet who treated him said his debilitating injuries were the result of a “horrible accident.” She said:
“It was the worst. His front legs became stuck in some mud while he was holding himself up with his back legs on dry ground. First, he tried to lift himself out with his back right leg, but the bone was too thin and too brittle, and the stress on it caused it to break. So he tried to push himself out of the mud with his back left leg, and that broke, too.”1
A campaign group called Moving Animals filmed the footage and said:
“This is a tragic and horrific end to Dumbo’s heartbreakingly-short life. His skeletal body clearly suggested that he was unwell and could be suffering from undernourishment and exhaustion. I can’t bring myself to imagine Dumbo’s suffering during this time. For Dumbo to die whilst under the so-called “care” and “treatment” of the zoo shows just how neglected these animals are in captivity.”1
Phuket Zoo Manager Mr. Pichai was rumored to be “deeply saddened by Dumbo’s passing.” He added:
“This elephant baby was worth more than 1 million baht (£24,670). Nobody wants to lose something they love. We did the best we could to protect him.”1
It certainly doesn’t seem like they did their best to protect Dumbo. The sad reality is elephants and other animals in captivity have been abused and mistreated for years.
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Phuket department officials have said the Phuket Zoo did not break any laws, and they are free to “acquire” another baby elephant if they choose to do so. We certainly hope they don’t.
REST IN PEACE SWEET DUMBO.
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