The elephant who got a contact lens after twig poked her eye during Zoo scuffle

Win Thida, 44, injured in fight with other elephant at Amsterdam's Artis Zoo

Cornea damaged by twig as she played with friend

Lens will be removed in 'a couple of months' once cornea has healed



An Asian elephant has been given back her sight - and become the first in Europe to be fitted with a contact lens.

Win Thida, 44, was injured in a scuffle with a fellow elephant at Amsterdam's Artis Zoo when she was poked in her left eye by a twig.

Dutch vet Anne-Marie Verbruggen was called in after the tourist attraction's star turn had difficulty keeping her eye open and it started to stream.

Operation: Win Thida, 44, was injured in a scuffle with a fellow elephant at Amsterdam's Artis Zoo when she was poked in the eye by a twig

Procedure: Win Thida was anaesthetised while standing up and vet Anne-Marie Verbruggen then stood on a ladder to place the contact lens in her eye

An examination revealed the cornea had been damaged, sparking fears that without something to protect the eye it would never heal and she could soon end up blind.

Win Thida was anaesthetised while standing up, as elephants cannot lie down for long periods before their immense weight hampers their breathing.

Anne-Marie, who had only ever put contact lenses into horses, then climbed up a ladder to reach the eye.

The whole procedure took one hour and Win Thida, who is the dominant matriarch of the Amsterdam herd, was reportedly 'much happier' straight away.

Saving sight: Dutch vet Anne-Marie Verbruggen was called in after the tourist attraction's star turn had difficulty keeping her eye open and it started to stream

Her eye was opening and closing easier and now, it is hoped, the protective lens will let the wound heal. Zoo bosses expect to remove the lens in 'a couple of months'.



Win was born in 1967 and came to the Netherlands in 1989. She moved to her present home, from Burger's Zoo in Arnhem, in 2004.