Elephant injured by land mine in Thailand

A 29-year-old female elephant who lost most of her left foot when she stepped on a land mine three years ago has been put to sleep because of deteriorating health, a statement said Wednesday.

Photo: Elephant injured by land mine in Thailand

Ma Nguay Lo was put to sleep on Tuesday after she collapsed and didn't respond to medical treatment, said a statement from the Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation in northern Thailand.

Ma Nguay Lo lost about 70 percent of her front left foot when she stepped on a land mine on Feb. 13, 2003 in Myanmar, near neighboring Thailand's Tak province, 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Bangkok, the statement said.

The border areas of Myanmar's Karen state where Ma Nguay Lo was injured are heavily mined because of a long-running insurgency by Karen ethnic rebels against Myanmar's government.

Ma Nguay Lo had been nursed back to health with medication and vitamins after the land mine blast.

However, her health recently deteriorated and on Sunday she was unable to get up without assistance. After collapsing Tuesday, veterinarians decided to euthanize her, the group said, reports the AP.