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!

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