

The story of Pretty Boy is still making headlines, and the world will never forget the gentle elephant who asked for help with a bullet in his head.

Luckily, the elephant survived the shooting and walked around with a serious wound. It took several weeks before someone noticed him. Good people still exist, and Pretty Boy was lucky enough to escape poachers.

Veterinarians from the Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust (AWARE) heard about the injured elephant, and went straight to Mana Pools National Park.

Do you know that the elephant approached people to ask for help? One of the veterinarians wrote that Pretty Boy made himself available for examination within half an hour, and came right to their car.

There was a hole in his forehead, and vets tranquilized the elephant to take him in for an X-ray. The deformed bullet was right there, in his head.

Dr. Lisa Marabini, director of AWARE, talked about Pretty Boy’s wound. She explained that bullets are sterile when they hit the tissue as they are really heated. If they don’t damage vital tissues, they can be left in it.

The shot was too high, and that’s what saved Pretty Boy. The bullet had caused a fracture in his sinuses, and the wound was infected. Vets had to remove dead pieces of bone to accelerate the healing of the wound.

Pretty Boy was targeted by someone as there was an abscess on his shoulder. According to the director, the elephant was shot outside the park, and ran into it to hide.

This didn’t destroy Pretty Boy’s hope in people which is why he let the vets help him. The gentle giant was given antibiotics and parasiticides.

Locals have seen Pretty Boy in the area in several different occasions, and it seems like he is accompanied by another male elephant. The wound is healed, and he still interacts with his friends from the area.

A local resident named Moira Whitaker reported that the elephant even stopped by their car to eat, and they enjoyed the perfect view. Pretty Boy was relaxed and healthy, and nobody has ever felt a negative or aggressive vibration from him.

Unfortunately, poachers won’t stop. They are everywhere, and the hunger for profits brings them closer to parks full of innocent animals.