This is the dramatic moment a team of rescuers had to cut metal wire from around the neck of a giraffe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saving the animal’s life.
It is not known how the giraffe had gotten the wire strung around its neck while grazing on a private game reserve Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Footage shows a team of rescuers tackling the giant beast to the ground after it had been shot by a tranquillizer dart.
After being checked over by the team, the giraffe can then be seen leaving the rescuers grips and happily moving into the distance.
The footage showing the moment the giraffe was freed from the wire was captured by Neil Parsons, who led the rescue team.
Mr Parsons said: ‘It had wire wrapped around its neck which was constricting but hadn’t cut into the flesh yet, if it was left longer it probably would have cut into the neck and eventually killed the giraffe.
‘Giraffes are one of the harder species to catch. They are easy to dart but to get them down without dying is a challenge. The whole process took around 15 minutes.
In Kenya, another dramatic giraffe rescue took place after one of the large mammals had got stuck in mud, in the Lamu District, on Northern coast.
‘The giraffe is now fine, he had joined up with his females before we left the farm.
‘Initially I was a bit skeptical about doing the capture with a bunch of guys who had never done any sort of capture before.
‘None of them could speak English either so communication was a challenge.
‘It was a huge relief when we had the bull in hand and he was breathing normally!’
In Kenya, another dramatic giraffe rescue took place after one of the large mammals had got stuck in mud, in the Lamu District, on Northern coast.
Rescuers from the Lamu Conservation Trust anti-poaching team and the Kenya Wildlife Service were called in to free the giraffe.
It took the team three hours to rescue the giraffe with the help of a tractor.
