A Beautiful Blog to Look At

We have just seen this beautiful blog, which talks about the book and praises it for all it is. Worth having a read.

Go to:https://sarakhamkoed.com/2016/08/23/celebrating-a-thai-tale-for-book-week/

 

Latest News For Mosha

Have just found a website which has some of the latest news on Mosha, the baby elephant whose story inspired the book, One Step at a Time. And on the site there is a short film called, can you believe it, “One Step at a Time: The First Elephant Prosthetics”.

You can find it here:

http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/science/nature/article/2016/06/27/meet-amputee-elephant-mosha-first-ever-receive-prosthetic-leg

Denmark had Landmines? I Never Knew That

During WW2 the German Army placed 1.4 million landmines on the south-west coast of Denmark as part of their defence line. Until recently approximately 10,000 remained in an out-of-bounds area on the peninsula. Amazing! Shifting sands,  the drift of the sea and local wildlife made it difficult to clear the area.

The minefield was finally cleared in 2012.

Another good news story. Unfortunately the clearing work still goes on in many countries around the world.

Mozambique is declared free of landmines

What a great story of hope! Mozambique is set to declare itself the first heavily mined country in the world to be cleared of all known minefields. In 1997 people thought Mozambique would take a hundred years to demine, but  it has been accomplished in less than 30. The key was the commitment of the government having a clear plan, doing it one area at a time, and the generosity of donors.

Read more here – http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/17/last-known-landmine-mozambique-destroyed

 

 

 

Latest News About Mosha

This information has just come in from Elephant Parade.

 Mosha was only seven months old when she stepped on a land mine and lost her right foreleg. It was 2006, and the baby elephant’s mother was hauling logs for her owner with the baby walking peacefully by her side when the two crossed the border from northern Thailand into Myanmar. Now, at age nine, she needs a higher-level prosthetic — one that’s specially designed to withstand her 11,000 pounds and to help keep her agile and comfortable as she continues toward maturity.

Over the years, Mosha’s prosthetics have broken down and it is time for a new and improved pair of artificial limbs.

Animal Orthocare created new custom molds of her amputated leg in July, 2015. They will visit again and carefully fit Mosha with her new prosthetics.

Animal Orthocare help improve the mobility and comfort of these majestic animals as they try to live normal lives following their horrendous injuries.

You can see a video of their work at this address:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msfYdur2tCg&utm_source=Elephant+Parade&utm_campaign=e41147931f-Mosha_and_Motala_need_new_Prosthetics9_11_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_de3bafa311-e41147931f-114837493

Derrick Campana from Animal Orthocare is a leading ‪specialist in orthopaedic services for various types of animals‬. Derrick has over 10 years experience in custom external prosthetics and orthotics for animals using the latest technology and materials available. He has drastically improved the quality of life of many animals ranging from elephants to common house pets.

High Tech prosthetics

A Low Cost, 3D printed solution to expensive prosthetics.

The hand can be built in less than two days and may hit the market next year.

Have a look at the video. It’s amazing!

http://www.vocativ.com/video/culture/health-culture/a-low-cost-3d-printed-solution-to-expensive-prosthetics/

More Ratty News

Another report from the New Internationalist says that the NGO Apopo has successfully cleared 11million square metres of land containing 13000 landmines in Mozambique using the fantastic giant pouched rats, which have been trained to sniff out landmines.

The rats are also working in Angola and could soon be working in Cambodia.

This is fantastic because the rats are so intelligent and light weight that they can work without getting injured.

Great News from Havana, Cuba

The New Internationalist reports that “after 50 years of war and two years of intense negotiations in Havana, Cuba, The Colombian Government and FARC rebels have reached a deal to remove all landmines from the battlefield. Colombia has seen almost 11000 killed or injured in landmine-related accidents since 1990, with 57 children killed in 2013 alone.”

This can only be good news!

Translation Rights Sold!!!

 Great news for One Step at a Time!

MidnightSun Publishing has sold translation rights to Simplified Chinese to CTV Boler Beijing Media and Spanish rights to Ekare for One Step at a Time. – See more at: http://midnightsunpublishing.com/2015/07/rights-sold/#sthash.T4HhJbOp.dpuf

We can’t wait to see the book in Chinese and Spanish!

APOPO Mine Action

…And here’s the web address for the organisation training the rats.

https://www.apopo.org

Click on the heading Mine Action for heaps of information!