Wild Elephant Seeks Help For Bullet Wound
An elephant that was shot in the head was forced to wander around a wildlife park in Zimbabwe for weeks before it was able to receive treatment for the injury. When he finally came across some humans he essentially motioned for their help. The elephant is being called Pretty Boy and was shot in the forehead which experts say was too high for a kill shot. Assistance was provided inside Mana Pools National Park.
Lucky there were vets present
According to AWARE’s Facebook page, the elephant approached veterinarians Dr. Keith Dutlow and Dr. Lisa Marabini. The two vets who work for the Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust or AWARE, examined the elephant and then tranquilized the animal so they could obtain X-ray images in order to get a better understanding of the injury. Upon examination of the elephant they found that the bullet was located just 5 centimetres away from the open wound in the animal’s forehead.
They wrote on Facebook: “The X-ray, which in our opinion, confirms the presence of a ‘mushroomed’ bullet that has glanced off the skull and lodged under the skin – which has caused a fracture of the sinus turbinate bones at the level of the entry wound. The opacity in the sinuses adjacent to the entry wound is suggestive of pus in that area.”
The elephant is going to be okay
Dr. Marabimi added that Pretty Boy was very lucky because the bullet must have ricocheted of the surface of his skull and following the shot the elephant must have turned to flee. Whoever is responsible for the attack must have fired a second shot aimed at the animal’s heart because Pretty Boy had a second abscess in his shoulder. Once Pretty Boy recovered from the tranquilizers he slept for another half an hour with his head pressed up against a tree. The elephant is recovering inside the park and the vets will return for routine checkups.
