Kuranze is far south, skirting along the Tanzania border. Extracting an adult elephant is an enormous undertaking, and each one unfolds a bit differently. Given the depth of this well, the only option was to fill it with water even further, to ‘float’ the elephant to a level where we could pull her out to safety.

The SWT helicopter flew down to the scene around noon, where ground teams were ready and waiting. They were met by a sobering sight: The elephant was confined in the deep, watery prison. The water went up to her eye level, and the sides were almost vertical, making it impossible for her to climb out on her own. Even with all the manpower, horsepower, and equipment at our disposal, rescuing her was going to be a challenge.

First, we had to get the water to a high enough point to raise her near ground level. Thus began the long, complex undertaking of pumping water from a nearby well into the elephant’s well. Centimetre by centimetre, she started to get closer to ground level.

As the water rose, the team arranged ropes in a ring formation around the elephant, so they could pull her out. This required several tries, as we were working with water and a moving target! At last, the ropes lined up perfectly behind the female. We attached them to two Land Cruisers, which moved in tandem to bring her to solid ground.

Despite the prolonged time she had spent in the well, the elephant was fighting fit. She ran off with remarkable speed — no doubt to find her herd, which would still be in the area.

From beginning to end, this extraction mission took four hours, multiple tries, and many hands working tirelessly. However, it ended in the best possible outcome: a life saved.

Trapped elephants have been a common theme of this dry season. As the usual drinking sources evaporate, wildlife are willing to take greater risks in search of water, which often brings them to manmade wells and dams created for livestock.

While the problem may seem simple to solve, there are vast numbers of wells and dams dotted across Kenya’s ranches and community lands, each under their own jurisdiction. There is work being done to wildlife-proof watering points, but it’s a big challenge. In the meantime — thanks to donors like you — we will always be there to answer the call for any animal, elephants or otherwise, who finds themselves in a sticky situation.