The report came in from Taita Hills Conservancy on the morning of 28th August 2024. The SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit went to assess the situation, and Dr Limo established that aerial support would be required. It was going to be a tricky operation: The calf was amongst a large herd, all of whom would be fiercely protective of their little baby. We wanted to treat him in situ, so he could immediately be reunited with his family. In order to do this, we would also have to dart his mother. All that stood between us were several dozen, highly defensive elephants. In other words, we had our work cut out for us.

The SWT helicopter flew down to the scene. Our pilot used the aircraft to splinter the herd into smaller groups, in order to identify the calf and his mother. This was a formidable task: At about 18 months old, the calf was tiny and kept disappearing amongst the sea of adult elephants. To further complicate matters, the herd had several young babies of a similar size darting underfoot.

Following much aerial manoeuvring, our pilot managed to narrow it down to a herd of ten. The Vet Unit Assistant, who was on the ground, confirmed the identity of the calf and his mum. From there, it took expert flying and equally expert aim from Dr Limo to dart both patients.

After the mum was darted, the baby took off with the rest of the group. Our ground teams showed some serious mettle as they kept track of the tiny patient, pursued all the while by several very angry female elephants. In the end, Dr Limo pulled off an incredible shot to land the anaesthetic dart in the baby, who was dwarfed amidst eight other elephants.

By this point, the actual treatment felt comparatively easy! As soon as the baby succumbed to the anaesthetic, the Vet Unit removed the wire snare and treated the resultant wound. Fortunately, it had not yet done irreversible damage — but left untended, a snare around the neck could have spelled a death sentence.

Then, the team loaded the baby into their vehicle and drove him over to his mother, who was slumbering about 100 metres away. Both mum and baby were revived at the same time and woke up side by side. They immediately reunited with their herd, who were waiting nearby.

This operation took bravery, competence, and extraordinary teamwork. The team on the ground (which included rangers from Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary) did an incredible job manoeuvring a herd of very upset elephants, while our team in the air masterfully honed in on the calf and his mother. Time and again, we are blown away by the professionalism and commitment we see during these high-pressure field operations.

And because of their efforts, this operation ended in a best-case outcome: A young elephant was spared from a tragic fate, and a wild family was kept together.

We apologise that we don't have too many photos to share from the treatment; it was an all-hands-on-deck operation!