Sep 7, 2026 |
A veterinary team from the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance has removed a nylon snare from an elephant's leg in the Niassa Special Reserve.
The animal, a sub-adult bull, was immobilised with a tranquilliser dart, allowing the team to approach safely and assess the affected limb before removing the nylon snare that was tightening around its right leg, according to the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance (MWA).
As the Mozambican NGO explains, snares of this kind tighten progressively around the animal's limb or body, and can cause deep wounds, infections, restricted movement and, in the most serious cases, the loss of the limb or death.
Veterinary intervention is therefore considered urgent, since immobilising the animal makes it possible to remove the foreign material, assess the extent of the injury and begin treatment before the condition worsens. After the procedure, the elephant recovered from the anaesthetic and returned to the wild.
Cases like this form part of the MWA's routine veterinary work, which responds to threats affecting individual animals and provides specialised support to wildlife in the region. The intervention was carried out in collaboration with the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Niassa Carnivore Project.
The Niassa Special Reserve, where the rescue took place, is Mozambique's largest conservation area, covering more than 42 000 square kilometres across eight districts in the provinces of Niassa and Cabo Delgado, and is home to one of the country's largest elephant populations, according to ANAC.
Photos: MWA
