“They are easy to dart but to get them down without dying is a challenge," a rescuer said.
When a rare giraffe somehow got a metal wire wrapped around its neck, a local rescue was prepared to help it by any means necessary to help it.
Neil Parsons, who led the rescue effort at the private game reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, explained the dangerous rescue was crucial to the giraffe's survival.
“It had wire wrapped around its neck which was constricting, but hadn’t cut into the flesh yet,” Parsons told Caters News. “If left longer, it probably would have cut into the neck and eventually killed the giraffe.”
According to authorities, giraffes are rapidly going extinct in the area, with some reports citing only dozens are left in the entire country.
Knowing it would have been crucial for this rare giraffe to survive, Parsons put together a team, but was nervous about how the rescue would play out. None of the other men on his team spoke English.
“Giraffes are one of the harder species to catch,” Parsons explained. “They are easy to dart but to get them down without dying is a challenge.”
But the team managed to pull it off.
After the giraffe was hit with a tranquilizer dart, the rescue team ran toward the giant animal trying to catch it as it fell, and subduing it as other members attempted to get the wire away from around its neck.
Fifteen minutes later, the giraffe was back on its feet.
"The giraffe is now fine,” Parsons said. “He had joined up with his females before we left the farm."
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