When veterinarians administer an anesthetic to a five-ton bull elephant after being shot with a poisoned arrow, it falls to the ground.
The video, shot from a helicopter and on the ground, shows how veterinarians would go about saving in.ju.red animals in the wild.
It’s not clear where this footage was shot, but the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which filmed it, is based in Kenya, and officials from the country’s wildlife service appear in the clip.
At the beginning of the video, a helicopter is seen circling over a herd of elephants in a pool of water before landing near a group of Kenyan Wildlife Service veterinarians.
The in.ju.red bull elephant, who had two poisoned arrow wo.u.nds, was seen stalking on the ground as the veterinarians approached.
The medics watch as the enormous beast stands motionless, loses its strength in its hind legs, and then falls on its side after being given an anesthetic from a helicopter.
The veterinarians work swiftly to prepare the animal for treatment by moving its airway open and cleaning the arrow w.ou.nds.
The elephant is then seen being given injections by medics, who work from a four-wheeled “mobile veterinary unit.”
After the surgery is complete, they then give the elephant a reversal medicine to remove the anesthetic’s influence.
The rescue workers watch as the elephant gets back on its feet from a safe distance.
According to the charity, it has cared for more than 2,400 elephants since 1997.
It said on Facebook: ‘Vet Units know first-hand that it takes a coordinated team effort to treat any injured wild animal… even more so when your patient weighs upwards of five tonnes, is suffering in pain and might not be feeling all that friendly towards humans.’
