Always something new every day. It's the height of the dry season. There is no food near the river and animals have to come in every day to drink. It’s a twist of fate that these 2 unfortunates should have to get caught in the few mud puddles that are found near the river bank. It's where animals love to wallow and have mud baths to cool themselves off, and coat their skin so that external parasites are removed when the mud dries and falls off. Natures dip.
The buffalo had been in the mud hole for over 2 days before we were informed. It took intensive treatment with 8 litres of fluids, antibiotics and Antiinflamatories and the final bottle of calcium Borogluconate which did the trick. It was cooled off with water and left to recuperate.
A second call, 80 kilometres away, found this poor elephant almost totally immersed in a mud hole. Its trunk was fortunately not buried yet. After much effort and breaking 4 tow ropes we managed to pull him out. Antibiotics and Anti-inflamatories were injected and he drank over 100 litres of water, that we gave him by hand. We rolled him over, after he gave me a nasty whack with his tusk and bruising my leg.
In a few hours both animals stood up and survived to live another day. Blood samples were taken from both for our ever growing database. Many thanks to my park team and the Botswana Defence Force which responded to assist with the elephant.
At 43 degrees centigrade we all went home for a well deserved bath and rehydration.
Please let the rains come.
