What do you call a three-legged elephant? "The future," apparently, as Thai elephant Motola is fitted with a prosthetic leg months after another elephant in the same hospital received one. Should we be concerned about these new cybernetic pachyderms?
The 48-year old Motola was fitted with her permanent prosthetic leg yesterday, ten years after she lost the original in a landmine accident. Surprisingly, she isn't the first elephant with a prosthetic limb; three-year old Mosha received a brand new leg in March, replacing the one she'd been given in 2007. Both elephants have been treated at the same hospital, run by the organization Friends of the Asian Elephant, which points out that many elephants in the area are injured by land mines left from conflicts with neighboring countries.
While we're happy for both Motola and Mosha, we're not sure about the idea of elephants with replacement parts. Has science finally caught up to shitty 1980s Marvel Comics?
Thai elephant gets artificial leg [BBC News] (Thanks, Kle.)