Two months ago, our fixed-wing pilot spotted an elephant with an arrow wound on his right shoulder. He was a big bull, and given the location of the injury, he had likely been targeted by poachers.

Unfortunately, before we could mobilise a treatment, the bull evaporated into the wilderness. Despite extensive aerial searches in the following days, he remained elusive.

Earlier this month, we had a breakthrough when our fixed-wing pilot stumbled upon the very same bull near the Tsavo River. He was in the company of two other bulls — but worryingly, his wound was still present. The pilot circled around, took photos of the injury, and sent them to Dr Limo of the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit for inspection.

The injury had all the appearances of a poisoned arrow wound. It hadn’t healed since the initial sighting and remained swollen and full of pus. The bull’s body was clearly putting up a good fight against the poison, but he needed a helping hand.

The SWT/KWS Burra Anti-Poaching Team got into position while the SWT helicopter flew Dr Limo and his team to the scene. It was a very hot day, so time was of the essence — it isn’t ideal to leave animals under anaesthesia for a prolonged period when the mercury rises.

After Dr Limo darted the patient from the air, our ground teams started a countdown. It takes about eight minutes for the anaesthetic to take effect. As soon as the bull started to get woozy, the team moved in to shepherd him to the ground, ensuring he fell on the ‘right’ side — which, in this case, was the left side: The wound was on his right shoulder, and if he had fallen down on that side, it would have been an extra mission to flip him over to access the injury, thus increasing the amount of time he was under.

With guiding hands, the bull fell to the earth, and treatment could commence. The wound was a staggering 10 inches deep. The arrow had gone through his ear and into his shoulder. Fortunately, the bull’s body had expelled the arrowhead, but the residual poison inhibited the wound from healing.

With all the proper tools and medication at our disposal, that was easily rectified. The team flushed and cleaned the wound before administering antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. In record time, the bull was revived and back on his feet. He strolled into the wilderness, his multi-month saga at last drawn to a close.