A rescued elephant has been fitted with a prosthetic foot so he can walk again.
Chhouk, an 11-year-old Asian elephant had to have his foot amputated after he was caught in a snare when he was just a year old.
He was taken in by the Wildlife Alliance conservation organisation in Cambodia and their partners Paradise Wildlife Park in the UK helped fund a prosthetic foot made out of recycled rubber.
Chhouk has lived at Wildlife Alliance since was rescued, and Cam and the Paradise Wildlife Park have been funding his prosthetic foot for the last five years.
The prosthesis allows Chhouk to walk, run and swim without causing him any issues.
Cam Whitnall, 27, who runs the Paradise Wildlife Park and Big Cat Sanctuary with his family, supports animals well being-globally and was delighted to help rescue Chhouk.
Cam, a wildlife presenter and conservationist from Broxbourne, Herts, said: "It's amazing - you can't help but smile.
"It's a really special moment, to see what we're helping to conserve and help, not just Chhouk but all over the world. It's the best feeling in the world to help animals.
"The level of care that he gets is brilliant and he has a great life now. There's no better feeling."
Cam and the Paradise Wildlife Park fund a new prosthetic foot every six months for Chhouk, which is made at a university in Cambodia.
They have been fitting the elephant with prosthetics for the last five years.
He said: "Because he's still growing, it needs replacing often and we've been sending payments to cover that.
"They're made out of recycled rubber and some Velcro to tie it up.
"They weigh about 20kg and we actually got them to send one over and it's sitting in my office currently.
"It costs us roughly £1,200 a year to fund.
"They use food and a clipping mechanism to get him to turn and adjust his body and are then able to give him a thorough look over to make sure there are no issues."
Cam had a chance to visit Chhouk in December 2022 and witness first hand the progression he's made.
He said: "In the video I'm pretty smiley for good reason - it's not every day you get to see and help an elephant like that."
Cam was born into a life of animals and has lived at the Paradise Wildlife Park his entire life.
His room overlooks the lion and lemur enclosure, which he says can be "quite noisy at night."
He added: "It's very cool. It's a bit of a different lifestyle.
"It started with my nan and grandad in the 80s.
"They stumbled across this zoo which was regarded as the worst zoo in the UK so they decided to sell their coach company and take care of the animals.
"We've been running the site for our whole lives.
"It's been a dream and my grandad still comes in every day."
Cam's job takes him all over the world, combining his filming work for his BBC series 'One Zoo Three' alongside his conservation work.
He said: "The BBC show follows what we do at work on the Wildlife Park.
"But every day is different.
ID: 565087
This footage is being managed exclusively by Newsflare. To license this video email [email protected] or call: +44 (0) 203 937 6280
