Injured Elephant Amazes Rangers When It Shows Up for Surgery ‘Appointment’ on Its Own

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From the archives: This story was last updated in September 2019.

A Zimbabwean elephant nicknamed “Pretty Boy” became an unusually willing patient when he approached a conservation group after being shot in the head by suspected poachers.

The elephant was found by a team of veterinarians in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, in 2016. The vets who treated him suspected that the bull had been walking around with a bullet in his head for anything between three to six weeks.

Veterinarians from Zimbabwe’s Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust (AWARE) were alerted by the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to the presence of a lone elephant in the park.

AWARE took to Facebook to post about their patient.“‘Hurry up and wait’ is a common saying in wildlife circles,” they wrote, “as it usually takes more time to find the animal than it does to treat it.”

In Pretty Boy’s case, however, the “extremely gentle and relaxed” bull located his own rescue team, but not before walking around with the painful, infected head wound for several weeks.

“We think he was shot outside of the park and came into the park for refuge,” AWARE’s Dr. Lisa Marabini told the BBC, adding that as the gentle giant approached the team’s vehicle, he showed no aggressive behavior whatsoever.

Marabini turned to her husband, AWARE’s co-director Keith Dutlow, and exclaimed that she thought the bull had been shot in the head. “Even as I said it,” Marabini recalled, sharing Pretty Boy’s story with National Geographic, “I was incredulous, especially because the elephant emanated serenity.”

“I’m not one to push physical boundaries with wild animals,” the doctor continued, “but I felt completely at ease with this fellow. He calmly pulled down tree branches and crunched them up in his mouth within 15 yards of our vehicle, giving us an excellent opportunity to assess his wounds.”

“It’s like he knew we were there with the intention of helping him,” Marabini said.

Pretty Boy, despite the severity of his wounds, was an easy patient. “He did not move far after darting and went down smoothly,” AWARE posted. The team took an X-ray, removed the deformed bullet, and cleaned out the necrotic wound.

The bull also had an abscess on his shoulder from a second bullet. “We suspect he was shot in the head first and turned to flee,” Marabini explained, “and then the poacher put a bullet in his side.”

The veterinary team noted that had the headshot hit a few centimeters lower down, the bullet would have gone into the elephant’s brain and killed him. But given the location of the bullet, the team collectively judged it safe to leave it untouched.

“Bullets are usually sterile when they penetrate tissue as they generate so much heat,” Marabini explained to The Dodo, “so if they don’t hit a vital structure they can often be left.”

Marabini suspected that the poacher had been inexperienced. A professional hunter, she explained, would have used a better bullet. Vets also noticed that Pretty Boy sported an old scar near his spine, suggesting that this was not his first experience on the wrong side of a poacher’s rifle.

While tranquilized, the gentle bull was given long-lasting antibiotics and parasiticides. “The vets were worried his weak back might interfere with him getting to his feet after reversal,” AWARE shared on Facebook, “but he recovered uneventfully and then lay his head against a tree and dozed for half an hour.”

“The following day,” they added, “he was feeling much happier and very relaxed.” Marabini even described seeing Pretty Boy “stuffing his face with albida pods,” a local, healthy snack for these herbivores.

The elephant was estimated to be around 25 years of age at the time of his rescue in June of 2016. African wild elephants, says the African Wildlife Foundation, can live for up to 70 years. However, few do. Sadly, poachers who kill elephants for their ivory have long made a beeline for Mana Pools National Park.