The bull was first reported on 28th December by our SWT/KWS Peregrine Anti-Poaching Team. They flagged what appeared to be a spear wound on the elephant’s back-left rump. It was already evening when the report came in, so we had to wait until the following morning to mount an operation.

However, the bull had other ideas. Our pilot took off at first light to locate him, but he had evaporated into the wilderness. For the next two weeks, we extensively patrolled the area, but he was nowhere to be found — no small feat for an elephant with a staggeringly large set of tusks! Tsavo had just received good rains, transforming the landscape into a jungle capable of swallowing even a bull of his significant size.

We had a breakthrough a month later when another SWT/KWS Anti-Poaching Team spotted a bull with the same injury. Comparing photos of the two, we knew it had to be the same elephant. Incredibly, he had walked more than 95 kilometres (60 miles) from the initial sighting.

Again, it was late in the evening, so we organised a treatment for the following morning. Once again, our pilot set out to locate him — and once again, he was elusive! Perseverance paid off, however, and he ended up finding him about 18 kilometres (11 miles) from where he had been just a few hours prior, at the base of Irima Hill in Tsavo East National Park.

From there, we left nothing to chance. The SWT/KWS Mobile Vet Unit mobilised to the scene. Because the bull was in a clear, open area, Dr Kariuki was able to dart him from the ground. A vehicle was on standby to flip him over if he fell on the ‘wrong’ side, but fortunately, he landed with the injury facing up.

The treatment arrived not a moment too soon. The wound was serious — more than 18 inches deep and dangerously infected. All signs indicate that the bull had been speared in human-wildlife conflict.

The team cleaned out the injury site, packed it with antiseptic boluses, and administered medication to aid healing. Treatment complete, the bull was revived and went up and on his way. It was a long and winding road from initial sighting to final treatment, but we are thrilled to have been able to give this impressive chap the help he so direly needed.