The staff at a wildlife park in Kenya had to rescue a female giraffe after she was seen having a tire stuck around her neck.
The giraffe, who lives at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is located in Haller Park, Mombasa, Kenya, somehow managed to get herself caught up in the unfortunate situation.
According to reports that there was a wound on the neck of the giraffe when the tire was removed.
Rob Brandford, the executive director of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, said, “We are not aware of any prior incidents of giraffes being treated for injuries caused by tires, although our SWT/KWS teams have treated 95 giraffes to date for snare injuries.”
He added, “But we believe this tire was discarded as rubbish and was not used as a trap.
Rob continued, “Giraffes are one of the more difficult species to anesthetize – it requires a whole team working nimbly and quickly, tackling several hurdles before the treatment even begins.”
The staff of the park approached the giraffe on fit and shot it with a dart, which was carrying anesthetic, so she could go to sleep.
This allowed the staff to remove the tire from the neck of the giraffe.
Recalling the incident, Rob said, “Teams from the Sheldrick Trust and Kenya Wildlife Service then used ropes to gently guide her down to the ground so that she did not injure herself, including her delicately long neck, since trauma or malposition could be fatal.”
Rob added, “Once on the ground, the anesthetic was reversed and team members manually restrained her
He continued, “This is because giraffes can’t be under anesthetic for long since, among other reasons, anesthesia alters a giraffe’s ability to pump blood around its massive body. So, the minute a giraffe is safely down on the ground, the anesthetic is reversed and the giraffe is manually restrained.”
The staff of the park cleaned the wound after removing the tire.
According to Rob, the staff disinfected the wound and coated it with an antibiotic spray along with green clay so it can aid in the healing process.
The staff also gave the giraffe a long-acting antibiotic, which will help the animal keep deadly and bad infections away.
It was also given some anti-inflammatory medications.
Rob explained, “As the giraffe had a positive prognosis for a complete recovery, it was not necessary to monitor her or provide any follow-up treatment. We can say for certain that she must be much relieved following the removal of the troublesome tire, which would have been causing her pain and considerable discomfort.”
Not all heroes wear capes! Salute to you guys!
