Burra was caught in a thick steel cable around the neck and behind one ear. The cable bit deep into the tender flesh around his throat, behind the back of his neck, trapping one ear, the noose tightening as his mother pulled him free, leaving him almost throttled, unable to lift his head, unable to feed, but still desperate to, somehow, try and live.

His family were en route through the human habitation, desperate to meet up with others in the sanctity of Tsavo East National Park. They never made it, because they were driven back by Helicopter and gunshots, and this eight month old calf was, by now, too weak to keep abreast of his terrified, fleeing family. He fell behind, and it was clear that he had a problem, so those in the Helicopter landed, captured him, and saw the extent of the problem, and the reason for it - a snare that had almost severed three quarters of his ear, cut the back of his neck, and his throat, inhibiting his feeding. He was emaciated, starving and weakened by the time he was found.

Burra is an ex-orphan wild bull now who does not frequent the stockades often, especially since the death of his friend, Mweiga, when she died in 2007 due to a heart condition. He has been seen a few times in extremely good health, usually with Emily's ex-orphan herd.