Vets Cure Elephant of Drug Addiction
An Asian elephant that was fed bananas laced with heroin by cruel smugglers to keep him under control has been put through a detox program by Chinese vets in Beijing.
Big Brother is four years old and has suffered much in his young lifetime. He was illegally captured in 2005 in southwest China and when police arrested the smugglers some months later and freed the elephant, authorities noticed that the poor creature was displaying repeated signs of distress.
The elephant was suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms and was sent to a wild animal protection center, which provided a three-year detox program.
Big Brother is fine today. He received a year of treatment that consisted of methadone injections at five times the maximum human dosage.
The dose was gradually reduced and he rallied and recovered. He and three other elephants that had been held by smugglers will soon arrive at a wildlife park in Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province to live their lives drug-free and as happy as can be expected.
Here’s to you, Big Brother.
Have a long and happy life!
(link)
By MDeeDubroff on 16-09-2008
Comment by Linda
September 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Yay! (:
Comment by sarcastic person
September 16th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
if elephants can do it,
why can’t humans do it too?!
Comment by MDeeDubroff
September 17th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Hey Sarcastic,
That’s a good question.
Thanks for your comment.
Comment by ME again
September 17th, 2008 at 4:52 am
I must comment. That was a nice way to detox an animal or a human.
Could you please let me kow how much methadone did they consider 5 times the maximum human dosage is considered?
Amazingly in America if a methadone patient has no money for 1 day ,most clinics will not dose them.The patient has to go sick. I bet they would not pull that on an elephant.
Lucky boy,Big Brother!
Comment by Kendra
September 17th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Elephants can’t go find their dealer when they’re having a rough time.
Comment by web
September 17th, 2008 at 11:16 am
He was caught with an entire trunk full of heroin.
Comment by ME again
September 17th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Yes,he was! However when he went to the methadone clinic he used the same trunk to carry his takehomes in.
Comment by ME again
September 17th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Be more specific ,sarcastic person. IF elephants can do it. What?
Get addicted to heroin?
Get on methadone?
Be detoxed from methadone?
Do any of the above in China?
or?