A stallion in Botswana survived a crocodile attack after heading to a river for a drink.
The horse, Hunter, escaped with a serious wound to one hind leg.
Here's what to know
Horse & Hound reported that U.K. veterinarians Wendy Furness and Michael Colgan spent a week in July running clinics in Botswana's remote Okavango Delta with the Maun Animal Welfare Society. The outlet described it as the first organized outreach program, bringing care to animals in six far-flung villages.
After a crocodile grabbed Hunter as he approached a river to drink, Furness treated the stallion by cleaning out the wound, opening areas that had healed over but still held pus so the wound could drain, and prescribing antibiotics and painkillers. She also gave the owner supplies and instructions for cleaning the wound while it healed.
"Crocs clamp down then drag and roll to drown their victims, so the horse was not only very lucky to escape but also to do so without a broken bone," she said, noting the outcome could have been much worse.
Hunter's recovery was later confirmed in a photo sent by Ansie, a local volunteer with the society who had stayed in touch with the owner.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
More background
Hunter earns his keep herding cattle and carrying his owner, Furness told the publication, since vehicle transport is hard to come by in the area.
Domestic animals, people, and wildlife live in close quarters in the Okavango Delta. Cattle live among the wildlife there, Furness noted, and "it is not uncommon to see zebra with them too."
That overlap can make dangerous encounters more likely, especially around water sources that both people and wild predators rely on.
Attacks by wild animals are often tied to increasing overlap between humans and the ecosystems those animals depend on.
What's being done?
The team saw more than 750 animals over the week, among them 82 horses and 94 donkeys.
Furness said Hunter's recovery owed a lot to his owner's follow-up care in the Delta's difficult conditions.
As Furness put it, "It really shows how the owners value their animals, travelling a long way into the bush to ensure that they could get care when the opportunity presented and then diligently implementing any required ongoing care themselves in particularly tricky conditions. We were all delighted with the outcome, and for us as vets to see the difference our voluntary work makes to animals and their owners in these remote areas is fantastic."
Where can I learn more?
Around the world, vets and volunteers have been called into action to save a range of creatures.
• At a rehabilitation center, vets performed life-saving surgery on coyote Athena and pleaded for help.
• At WRAS, a wildlife hospital bursting at the seams scrambled to treat injured gulls.
• In Scotland, rescuers found an endangered gull and did the only responsible thing possible.
• In Amarillo, Texas, a hailstorm left rescuers inundated with hundreds of injured wild animals.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
