An elephant that was shot in the forehead wandered through a park in Zimbabwe for weeks before he received help. And, when help arrived, the injured animal walked up to the doctors himself!
The elephant, named Pretty Boy, got shot in the forehead and experts consider this to be too high for a ‘kill shot’. When the veterinarians arrived in the Mana Pools National Park, Pretty Boy walked right up to the car to get help.
The two veterinarians, Dr. Keith Dutlow and Dr. Lisa Marabini from the Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust tranquilized the animal in order to perform the needed test.
They took X-rays so that they could see what was happening inside his head. The tests showed that the bullet was lodged 2 inches from the open wound.
Pretty Boy: Alive & Well
According to the veterinarians, their X-ray confirmed the presence of the bullet which glanced off the skull and set under the skin. This has caused a fracture in the sinus turbinate bones near the entry wound.
They explained that the elephant was pretty lucky because the bullet solely glanced off the surface of the skull. And, they suggest that after the initial shot, Pretty Boy probably started to run. The perpetrators fired yet another shot towards his heart, but missed because there was another abscess in the shoulder area.
When Pretty Boy woke up from the medications, he dozed off with his head against a tree for 30 minutes. He is now back in the park and recovering. The doctors will go back for routine checkups.
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