Snares pose a fatal threat to elephants. Left unchecked, these rudimentary loops are capable of taking down even nature’s greatest giants. We have witnessed the lethal consequences of snares far too many times: limbs severed, lives lost.

Fortunately, this young bull had a different fate. He was first reported by teams at Mbulia Conservancy after they spotted him at a waterhole with a cable snare around his leg. Our SWT/KWS Burra Anti-Poaching Team went to investigate and located him in a nearby valley. With the case confirmed, we mobilised a treatment.

The SWT helicopter flew Dr Limo and the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit to the scene. The bull was easy to spot among the herd of 20 elephants: A thick cable snare was wrapped around his leg, with a tangled length dragging behind.

Dr Limo darted the bull from the air and the helicopter guided him towards an open area. He went down without incident and the team moved in. It was a rapid treatment: The snare was fresh, meaning it hadn’t yet cinched around the leg and caused a critical injury. But left untended, it would only have been a matter of time before it did.

Snare removal complete, Dr Limo administered the anaesthetic reversal. The bull got to his feet and lumbered off into the wilderness. From beginning to end, the entire operation took just 15 minutes — but in that brief time, we spared an elephant from untold pain and suffering.