Kenya Wildlife Service wardens finally got something right as they freed an elephant which had been stuck in the mud for three days.
The embattled wildlife agency has been on the spot for weeks now since the death of 11 endangered rhinos in a calamitous relocation project in June.
The agency, which is tasked with the protection of wildlife, made headlines again when its officers shot and killed a hippo that mauled a Taiwanese tourist at Lake Naivasha last weekend.
Days before that, KWS wardens killed a giant crocodile and cut it open in search of a missing girl’s remains in Embu. They did not find anything as enraged Kenyans accused the agency of being a threat to the wildlife its mandated to preserve and protect.
It, therefore, came as a relief to many Kenyans when KWS wardens, with help from locals, rescued an adult Jumbo at the Kiboko campsite in Chyulu Hills.
In a tweet on Wednesday, KWS said that the operation, although difficult due to marsh, was a complete success.
It observed the elephant was weak from exhaustion and was at first unable to stand up on his own after three days in the mud.
The wildlife agency noted that through supportive treatment, including intravenous fluids, the adult elephant is now well and back to the bush.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to all who support us in ensuring that our wildlife is safe in their various habitats,” Kenya Wildlife Service Tweeted.
Operating at the Kiboko scene in Chyulu Hills, KWS, in partnership
with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Big Life Foundation and members of the local community endeavoured to free an adult elephant bull that had been stuck in mud for three days! pic.twitter.com/GCaFDWmVDa— KWS (@kwskenya) August 15, 2018
