The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on Tuesday, April 15 came to the rescue of a helpless giraffe with magot-infested wound at the Meru National Park.
The authority’s Meru Mobile Veterinary Unit, in conjunction with a team from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), responded to a report of the injured adult male reticulated giraffe within the park.
The wound, KWS says, was located on the right lateral aspect at the base of the giraffe’s neck, and is suspected to have been constantly reopened by ox-peckers.
“Upon successful immobilization, the veterinary team discovered the wound was subcutaneous and extensively infested with maggots,” the authority says. “The morphology and presentation suggested trauma consistent with blunt force, possibly from a tree stump or a similar object.”
The team thoroughly cleaned the wound with water, manually removed the maggots, then flushed it with hydrogen peroxide and iodine.
To promote healing, the wound was dressed with green clay. The giraffe was also administered systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
SWT says that after the procedure, the giraffe was back on his feet and walked away with a good prognosis.
KWS says the giraffe has a good prognosis for full recovery.
