It began, as it often does, with a routine aerial patrol. Flying along the Tiva River, our pilot spotted a bull with a fresh arrow wound in his side — almost certainly the work of poachers.

He reported his sighting, and the SWT helicopter flew Dr Limo and the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit to the northern reaches of Tsavo East, where the bull was located. From there, treatment was straightforward: The bull was darted from the air and fell on the ‘correct’ side, with the wound facing up.

It immediately became clear, however, that the bull’s chances would have been slim without intervention. The wound was deep and dangerously infected. The team removed the entire arrowhead, which was still lodged inside, and excavated litres of pus and necrotic flesh. They then created a drainage hole, packed the injury site with medication, and woke the patient up. He walked away with a positive prognosis — a complete turnaround in prospects from how he started the day.

The same pilot who initially spotted the bull recently saw him again — and he has made a complete recovery!