The 3-month-old elephant calf was first spotted by a camp manager at the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) in Zimbabwe during the first week of July.
His right hind leg was severely swollen, leaving him in desperate need of medical attention. The camp manager took photos of the elephant and sent them to AWARE Trust Zimbabwe.
“These elephants roam the Greater Mapungubwe TFCA, into Tuli and Botswana, part of which is communal land,” Dr. Lisa Marabini, director of AWARE, told The Dodo. “I suspect the elephant picked up a snare set by a villager for the bushmeat trade.”
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.”
“In the last 10 days, reports of sightings started to come in again at the same water hole, together with some pictures showing the calf’s deteriorating condition,” AWARE wrote in a Facebook post on July 24 recounting the rescue.
“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.
After the team patched Keith up, they woke up the calf and his mother. “The mother instantaneously got her bearings and we could swear she nodded at the calf, before they went trotting off in unison into the bush,” AWARE wrote.
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