Giraffe shot with poisoned arrow in Kenya is rescued while ‘mates’ wait nearby
A team of veterinarians in Kenya saved the life of a giraffe that was shot with a poisoned arrow.
The arrowhead, lodged in the adult male’s left front leg, was causing lameness, to the point where he “was barely using it,” according to a Sept. 11 Facebook post from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Members of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Mara Mobile Vet Unit rushed to the giraffe’s aid.
Giraffes are notoriously difficult and “extremely risky” to treat because they cannot tolerate anesthesia, rescuers said. They can only be sedated long enough to be carefully brought down to ground level. After that, the sedative is reversed and they are fully awake for treatment.
The team “gently roped down” the injured bull giraffe and dug out the poison arrow, before cleaning and disinfecting the would with “copious” amounts of water, hydrogen peroxide and iodine.
After sealing the wound with a “healing green clay,” rescuers used ropes to help the giraffe back on his feet, according to the post.
“He got up and walked off into his tower mates waiting nearby, albeit only with a slight limp,” rescuers said, adding that the giraffe’s “prognosis is good.”
A group of giraffes is called a tower.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Giraffe shot with poisoned arrow in Kenya is rescued while ‘mates’ wait nearby."
