Just don't pull my trunk! Brit who works as the world's first osteopath for ELEPHANTS

By Daily Mail Reporter

Heave! Mr Nevin grips Pepsi's tail. He claims that by straightening out the tail he can cause all the muscles, from the tail up to the spine, to relax

A ground-breaking British specialist packed his trunk and trekked through the sweltering jungle for his biggest ever job - osteopathy for elephants.

Pioneering Tony Nevin, 47, the world's only wildlife osteopath, travelled all the way to Thailand to treat the two-tonne, floppy-eared animals.

He used his healing hands to help bring comfort to dozens of the creatures at an elephant sanctuary, many of whom had suffered in the now banned teak industry.


Healing hands: Tony Nevin, the world's only wildlife osteopath, in Thailand treating Dah, one of the female elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation sanctuary


And despite the suffocating 35 degree heat, he produced dramatic results.

Stunned sanctuary chiefs are now planning to get him to return after requests from students as far away as Australia to come and study his work.

Mr Nevin, a father-of-two from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: 'It was a privilege to be able to work so closely with the elephants.

'Lifting a elephant's leg and rotating it over and over in order to free the biomechanics is hard work in those sort of temperatures.


Gently does it: Mr Nevin gently taps his foot against Pepsi, a bull elephant injured in a fight with another male. This creates a lymphatic pump action, to soothe the leg muscles


'Add to that the humidity and you can't actually drink enough to compensate for water loss.

'I get sceptics until they see the work and results - there's no doubt that the elephants benefited.'

Mr Nevin, who lives with his wife Melissa, son Richard, 14, and daughter Maddie, eight, trekked to the heart of the Thai jungle, on the Burmese border, last month.

The osteopath - who treats humans and animals in Britain - visited the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to help its 30 elephants.

His treatment includes gently rocking the elephant's head, neck and body to relieve asymmetrical muscle stresses and soft tissue massage.

source :dailymail