Above is one recent example of our mission in action. In fact, this bull was among three elephants our teams helped in a single day. He had been struck by a poisoned arrow — a favoured tactic of poachers. If you look closely, you’ll see Dr Limo extract a poison-soaked rag from the wound, which had been wrapped around the arrow. Left untreated, it could have had lethal consequences.

Fortunately, help arrived in time. Our pilot spotted the bull during an aerial patrol, and the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit immediately mobilised to the scene. They anaesthetised the patient, helped him safely to the ground, and cleaned the wound. Thanks to swift intervention, he is expected to make a full recovery.

And the team’s work didn’t end there: We went on to treat two more elephants that afternoon — and the very next day, we were back at it again.

Your support makes our mission possible. We often reflect upon these words by David Attenborough, but Earth Day feels like an especially apt time to revisit them:

‘The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on Earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the Earth.’

Thanks to donors like you, we are able to rise to the challenge of this ‘awesome responsibility’. In celebration of Earth Day, we have gathered a few more missions that showcase how we move heaven and earth to save our planet’s denizens: