It's easy to see what is wrong with this picture: This big bull had been speared in the flank, likely caught in the crosshairs of human-wildlife conflict. Our SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Veterinary Unit responded to the scene, with support from teams at Loisaba Wildlife Conservancy, and darted the patient for treatment.

Incredibly, the spear had penetrated about a foot deep into the elephant’s side. After carefully extracting the spear, Dr Aminga and the team cleaned the wound, packed it with green clay, and administered medication to expedite his healing and provide comfort. The patient is expected to make a complete recovery, but the Loisaba team will monitor his progress — hence the identifying blue marks — should he need follow-up treatment.

To date, SWT/KWS Mobile Vet Units have attended to 3,628 elephant cases and counting. Donors like you make these life-saving treatments possible, allowing us to answer the call, for 47 years and counting.