Our SWT/KWS Chyulu Mobile Team initially sighted the snared bull, but he disappeared into the Chyulu lava fields before a treatment could be mobilised.

The following day, our pilot set out to find him. It took three hours of painstaking flying, but he eventually spotted the bull several kilometres from his last known position. As feared, the wound was badly infected and in urgent need of treatment.

From there, it was all systems go. Dr Kariuki of the SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit darted the patient from the helicopter, then ground teams moved in to remove the snare and treat the wound. The injury was infected and infested with maggots, but fortunately, the snare hadn’t yet compromised the joint.

We estimate this bull to be in his mid-teens. A snare threatened to rob him of the many decades he has ahead of him — but thanks to the persistence of our teams, he now has his life back.

Update: A week after treatment, our pilot spotted the patient and found him looking much, much better — in fact, he was recovering so well that it was deemed unnecessary to do a follow-up treatment! An excellent outcome for this young elephant.