Upon receiving photos of the calf, veterinarians from AWARE immediately began to track down the elephant – getting permission to search the parks from wildlife officials, and getting in touch with locals in the area to see if they knew anything about the young elephant and his troubling condition. From the photos provided, the team accurately guessed that the calf’s foot was wrapped in a wire snare trap.
By the time the veterinarians were able to reach the watering hole where Keith, his mother and his herd had reportedly been gathering for two days in a row, it was too late – the injured elephant and his herd had disappeared.
“Immobilizations can only safely be performed in daylight as the drug takes 10 to 15 minutes to take effect, during which time an animal could run off and get lost in the darkness,” AWARE wrote on Facebook. “Additionally it would not have been safe to immobilize the baby elephant and its mother with up to 100 other elephants milling around.”
“His swollen foot was unmistakeable from the chopper as he sped along on three legs with his mother following,” AWARE wrote. Keith’s very protective mother, who never once left him, was tranquilized along with her calf for the safety of the team. Veterinarians were finally able to get a close look at the extent of his injury.
“Although he was thinner than he should be, from fighting the devastating injury, the calf was strong and was very stable under the anaesthetic,” AWARE wrote.
As it turns out, the snare was so deeply embedded into his leg that it had reached the very bone. An X-ray conducted on site showing damage done to his feet as well.
Despite the injury, Keith had a good blood supply still running through the foot. Rescuers say Keith has a good shot at recovery because of his youth. The vet team cleaned Keith’s wounds and gave him pain relief medication, in addition to long-lasting antibiotics.
Keith’s rescuers believe that he’ll be left with a deformed foot, but Keith has already demonstrated that he has no problem keeping up with his herd on three legs. More importantly, Keith will no longer have to endure the pain that plagued him for weeks, thanks to the veterinarians who refused to give up on saving him.
Keith just before he was woken up | AWARE Trust Zimbabwe