A rescued elephant has been fitted with a prosthetic foot so he can walk again. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The prosthesis allows Chhouk to walk, run and swim without causing him any issues.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Cam, a wildlife presenter and conservationist from Broxbourne, Herts, said: "It's amazing - you can't help but smile.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"The level of care that he gets is brilliant and he has a great life now. There's no better feeling."<br /><br />Cam and the Paradise Wildlife Park fund a new prosthetic foot every six months for Chhouk, which is made at a university in Cambodia.<br /><br />They have been fitting the elephant with prosthetics for the last five years.<br /><br />He said: "Because he's still growing, it needs replacing often and we've been sending payments to cover that.<br /><br />"They're made out of recycled rubber and some Velcro to tie it up.<br /><br />"They weigh about 20kg and we actually got them to send one over and it's sitting in my office currently.<br /><br />"It costs us roughly £1,200 a year to fund.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Cam had a chance to visit Chhouk in December 2022 and witness first hand the progression he's made.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />Cam was born into a life of animals and has lived at the Paradise Wildlife Park his entire life.<br /><br />His room overlooks the lion and lemur enclosure, which he says can be "quite noisy at night."<br /><br />He added: "It's very cool. It's a bit of a different lifestyle.<br /><br />"It started with my nan and grandad in the 80s.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"We've been running the site for our whole lives.<br /><br />"It's been a dream and my grandad still comes in every day."<br /><br />Cam's job takes him all over the world, combining his filming work for his BBC series 'One Zoo Three' alongside his conservation work.<br /><br />He said: "The BBC show follows what we do at work on the Wildlife Park.<br /><br />"But every day is different.
