[WATCH] Elephant Shot In Head By Poachers, Escapes, Walks To Veterinarian

This elephant displayed incredible intelligence: ‘It’s like it knew we were there to help it…’

Bull elephant that survived being shot in the HEAD by poachers calmly walked up to vets in Zimbabwe

  • Male elephant, thought to be 25, was shot at the Mana Pools national park
  • Approached vets from Aware Trust as they searched for him after reports
  • Removed bone fragments from his skull and treated him with antibiotics
  • Vets said had bullet struck 5cm lower then ‘Pretty Boy’ would have died 

An elephant has survived after being shot in the head by poachers in Zimbabwe.

The male bull was found with a hole in his head just five cm above the post that would have meant a certain ‘killshot’, vets say.

They suspect poachers are responsible but think the elephant was shot outside the Mana Pools park and made his way inside for treatment.



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An elephant has survived after being shot in the head by poachers at a national park in Zimbabwe

The animal had an obvious hole in his head where the bullet had struck just five cm above would would have been a certain kill shot, vets say

X-rays show how the bullet entered around  five cm away from where it eventually became lodged under his skin

Vets had to removed fragments of broken skull from underneath the skin as they gave him treatment

The vets used an X-ray machine and a metal detector (pictured) to try and find the deeply lodged bullet

Pretty Boy was found with a hole in his head in the Mana Pools national park in the north of Zimbabwe

Dramatic video of elephant being saved after poachers shot him:

Vets from the Aware Trust said it can sometimes be a race against time to find animals that are injured, but the ‘gentle’ bull made himself known and showed no signs of aggression.

Dr Lisa Marabini told the BBC: ‘It’s like it knew we were there with the intention of helping it. We think it was shot outside the park and came inside for refuge.’

A spokesman for the trust added: ”Hurry up and wait’ is a common saying in wildlife circles as it usually takes more time to find the animal than it does to treat it.

‘Not so on 13 June – when Pretty Boy heard they’d arrived in Mana Pools he made himself available for examination within half an hour, coming right up to their car.

‘An extremely gentle and relaxed bull, the vets managed to get a good look at what immediately became apparent was a hole going into his forehead.’

The vets were able to tranquilise him and searched for the bullet but it was impossible to find the exact position because his skull is so big, it is difficult to X-ray from different angles. 

Pretty Boy approached the Toyota 4x4 within half an hour of when the search for him began on June 13

After they found him, the park rangers shot a tranquiliser dart at the bull so they could begin treatment

Within a few minutes, Pretty Boy was unconscious and vets began the process of treating him as he lay on the dusty ground

The vet had to crouch down and explore the wound with a metal surgical probe and it bled as he did so

It took an entire crew of park rangers and vets to move the animal and treat him when he was unconscious

The team sort through the mountain of equipment that they bring with them to find what they need to help Pretty Boy

The 25-year-old elephant was unconscious for more than an hour but is now expected to make a full recovery

They nicknamed him Pretty Boy after removing bone fragments from the around the bullet, lodged five cm beneath the surface of the wound. He is likely to make a full recovery.

A spokesman for the Aware Trust said: ‘Pretty Boy was given ultra-long acting anti-biotics and parasiticides.

‘The vets were worried his weak back might interfere with him getting to his feet after reversal, but he recovered uneventfully and then lay his head against a tree and dozed for half an hour.

‘The following day he was feeling much happier and very relaxed, and allowed Stretch, Keith and Lisa (the vets) to get very close to him for a final assessment.

 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3650480/It-s-like-knew-help-Bull-elephant-survived-shot-HEAD-poachers-calmly-walked-vets-Zimbabwe.html#ixzz4Caya1H4N
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