Elephant Takes Refuge In A House To Escape The Shooting Of Hunters

The news is simple, but surprising, and is told, as always, from a human point of view. An elephant who managed to evade his hunters came to a house to ask for help from those who were there. Whether it was a matter of chance or whether the animal approached those people sure that they would rescue him is still a matter of debate. What is certain is that the pachyderm was saved and its story, up to now, has a happy ending.

Ben: the elephant shot by poachers

The incident took place at the Bumi Hills Safari Lodge, a luxury tourist complex in western Mashonaland, a province of the African republic of Zimbabwe. The area is characterized by prolific wildlife and beautiful landscapes dominated by Lake Kariba.

Ben, so the protagonist of this story was baptized, was the victim of poachers who, fortunately, did not manage to win. However, the elephant had two bullet holes in his right ear and a wound in his shoulder, where the bullets eventually penetrated. In addition, he limped in a pronounced way.

The staff at the complex gave the animal water, which was showing obvious symptoms of dehydration, and called some veterinarians. However, in the meantime, the fired elephant had remained near the small house in which some employees of Bumi Hills were located.

Find out how the shot elephant was assisted

Veterinarians sedated the animal to treat its wounds and applied a monitoring device to it. In this way, they were able to evaluate the elephant’s recovery after the animal, feeling better, had moved away from the tourist complex.

After a prudent period of time, Ben was sedated again, in order to carry out the necessary further treatment and to ascertain the state of the wounds. Having verified that everything was fine, they removed his monitoring collar.

The news of the fired elephant who asked for help from humans has had a great impact on the media and social networks where, moreover, a campaign has been launched to raise the necessary funds to cover the expenses generated to treat Ben.

Elephants: victims of poaching

Crude statistics indicate that 100 African elephants are killed every day by poachers looking for mostly the ivory of their tusks, but also their meat and other parts of their bodies. Although these beings have populated the continent for 60 million years, they could become extinct by 2025 if their uncontrolled hunting is not stopped.

Despite worldwide restrictions on ivory mining, poaching continues as the demand for ivory increases with the parallel growth of the Asian middle class. 

According to estimates, the ivory that can be confiscated is only a small part of what is actually smuggled, although it must be said that the number of confiscations has increased in recent times.

Figurines vs elephants

The ivory, the hard, compact and white material that forms the teeth of these mammals, is unfortunately highly appreciated by various cultures, such as the Chinese one.

Among the various uses, it is used to process:

• Ornamental figures
• Bracelets
• Jewel case
• Tableware
• Figurines
• Piano keys
• Dominoes and chess pieces
• Brush handles

The situation is this: While many humans strive to save elephants like Ben, others seem to care very little that these animals are savagely killed for some to flaunt luxury items.

Source: Facebook Bumi Hills Foundation