Dr Chloe Buiting opens up about ‘eye-opening’ international conservation work
Dr Chloe Buiting opens up about ‘eye-opening’ international conservation
work
Harry Thomson, 7 News
May 9, 2021
See link
<https://7news.com.au/news/wildlife/dr-chloe-buiting-opens-up-about-eye-opening-international-conservation-work-c-1635869
for photos.
In a recent interview with 7NEWS.com.au, Chloe Buiting has spoken about
some of her amazing wildlife experiences.
It’s early in the morning but Dr Chloe Buting isn’t wandering down the road
for a morning coffee. Instead, she finds herself tending to the stump of a
four-tonne elephant, where its leg used to be.
Its limb was blown off by landmines on the Thailand-Myanmar border and vets
are the first point of call to help save these poor animals often found
writhing in pain.
Helping fit a prosthetic leg to one of the world’s most endangered animals
is no easy feat but that’s exactly the cutting edge wildlife conservation
work that the Aussie vet performs day in day out. Buiting, lovingly known
as the Jungle Doctor, has saved countless animal lives and is giving hope
for the survival of critically endangered species around the globe.
Elephant Prosthetics
In 2018 she shadowed a vet team Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) in
Chiang Mai, and helped with elephant care such as laser therapy of wounds
and abscesses caused by landmines on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
The world first hospital is giving Asian elephants quality of life and
saving them from euthanasia. But, one of the most revolutionary things they
do there is helping amputee elephants, by giving them prosthetic legs.
“The hospital does groundbreaking work that helps elephants who have lost
their legs from landmines,” Buiting told 7NEWS.com.au.
“With the help of prostheses elephants can learn to walk again and live
full lives that would have otherwise been impossible.
“My time with them was an experience that I will never forget.”
Although it was hard seeing the injured elephants there, Buiting relished
her time helping out. “Rather than keeping the prosthetic leg on around the
clock, we removed the prostheses at night and re-fitted each morning.
“To do this, the leg is first coated in talcum powder before a protective
sock is applied.
“Then, the padded prosthetic is fitted to the site, adjusted and tightened
with a ratchet system.
“It gives the elephants quality of life that they otherwise wouldn’t be
able to have.”
‘A Truly Brutal Place’
The Aussie vet says that all her experiences have shaped her into the
person she is today, but none more than her several years spent in Africa.
“Some of the most amazing moments have come from my time in Africa,”
Buiting said.
“I was fortunate enough to work with a range of species, from elephants to
rhinos and many others.
“It’s just an incredible experience to work with such majestic animals.”
For Buiting, seeing some of the issues facing animals in Africa opened her
eyes - but it also helped her understand the nuances that you don’t see
until you are there in person. “Sadly, a lot of animals there (Africa) are
facing severe pressures,” Dr Chloe Buiting said.
“From habitat loss to wildlife crime and animals being sold on the black
market, Africa can truly be a brutal place.
“Many of the countries are impoverished and people there are struggling to
get by.”
“For example, farmers shoot elephants to stop them from destroying their
crops that they need to live.”
Far from studying back in Australia, Buiting saw things that a book could
never teach her. She spent time in South Africa helping look after herds
elephants from high-risk poaching areas.
“My time in South Africa was particularly eye-opening,” Buting told
7NEWS.com.au. “The South Africa-Mozambique border is a problematic area
that I got to help out translocating elephants that were in danger of
poachers. “Thankfully there are so many incredible teams on the ground
working to stop the slaughter of these animals by getting them out of the
danger zone.”
‘We Shouldn’t Despair’
Although the outlook for many species can be overwhelming - Buiting
believes it doesn’t need to be. She thinks every individual has the ability
to help save the fragile ecosystems that are slowly dwindling around the
world.
“There are so many things that can be done on an individual level,” Buiting
told 7NEWS.com.au. “I really want people to be filled with hope and for
them to know that there is a difference that they can make.
“Know what you’re buying, where it came from, and what the environmental
consequences of it are.
“Everyone should become an advocate to help inform themselves and others
around them.”
Buiting, who is now living back in Australia - on Kangaroo Island - has
seen how we are indirectly harming our animals through climate change. “I
found helping out in the recent bushfires (2019-2020), extremely traumatic
work,” Buting told 7NEWS.com.au. “It was a reminder of the harm that we as
human are capable of inflicting for our wildlife here at home.
“But we shouldn’t despair, we need to work together to overcome these
issues.”
Although she is still young, Buting has a wealth of knowledge and
experiences that she has outlined in her new book - The Jungle Doctor.
The book heralds the work being done by vets on the frontline and what we
as individuals can do to help.
The Jungle Doctor is now in bookstores around Australia.