Discovering Something Unusual
A hot day in the Savanna turned into a great catastrophe when a lone ranger noticed a large animal in the distance. Something looked unusual about the creature.
Source: safari.com
It’s stomach looked to be protruding outward, and it was quite alarming to see. The ranger peered further into the distance, not exactly sure what type of animal this was. He just knew that something wasn’t right, and the creature needed help.
George A Hard Working Ranger
George has been an experienced ranger for many years. Him and his coworkers would trek through the Savanna for hours. They would constantly encounter a varying amount of wild animals, and knew exactly what to do and how to handle them.
Source: poynter.org
What he saw when the creature looming in the distance he was confused and in fear. He grabbed his radio and decided he should call in for help.
Love Of The Wild
George played a large part at his job. With a list of responsibilities constantly growing, he was trusted and reliable. Not only that but not everyone has the resources, time, energy and money to meet the demands of such a job as his.
Source: traveltriangle.com
He was a rare commodity. He truly loved what he did. Even though he was confused and quite scared he knew he should do everything he could to investigate further.
Giving His All
George knew how imperative it was to preserve the Savannah despite the long and grueling hours, the hot sun and facing wild animals everyday.
Source: worldfamilys.com
He had a love and an urgency to care for The Savannah and all who inhabited it, despite any fear, hesitation, or simply not knowing what to do in a situation. George knew he had reliable coworkers who would back him up in every situation.
Into The Distance
While he decided to call for help, the idea was seeming more and more ridiculous to him. At first he thought he was probably hallucinating because of being tired from a long day, overworked and under the beating sun.
Source: Pinterest
After continuing to gaze out into the distance he decided he wasn’t seeing imaginary things. He had confidence in himself, his abilities and his job, and decided to take a closer look.
Never Giving Up
George took care of himself while on the job, he always stayed hydrated being in the sun for long amounts of time. He continued to fuel his body with food, and took breaks where necessary.
Source: thenickyblog.com
Since he had a solid routine while working, He didn’t want to jump to the conclusion that he was hallucinating and give up on this creature right away. George now is certainly glad he went with his gut.
He Couldn't Believe His Eyes
Upon approaching George quickly realized the large animal was a lion. When he noticed this he was taken aback and quite alarmed. He was astounded and didn’t understand how a lion could be so large.
Source: westsideeyeclinic.com
He was unusually large and George knew that the poor creature needed medical attention. He badly wanted to assist the lion, and that overwhelming urge trumped any fear or hesitation George had when he approached him.
The Urge To Do Everything He Could
In all of the years George had been working as a ranger, he had never quite seen anything like this.
While he encountered large animals, and sick animals before, this was something certainly bewildering.
Source: phys.org
George knew that it wasn’t within his credentials to help this animal in the way that it clearly needed to be helped. The lion was extremely still, it looked disoriented and clearly was in a lot of pain.
The Most Concerned He'd Ever Been
As George got closer to the lion, he realized he recognized him. He was one of the alpha males a part of the local lion pack in Savannah. He didn’t look as he normally did because he had a very large bulging belly.
Source: facebook
The lion looked uncomfortable having such an outward abscess. George knew this wasn’t something he could handle all alone. After all, the lion was still a wild animal.
A Passionate Ranger
George, working as a ranger for many years, knew the animals he came across in Savannah everyday. He was there to take care of these animals and look over them.
Source: wanyamasafari.com
He also could recognize when the animals’ mannerisms appeared to be unusual. With all of his knowledge he understood he would need a team of dedicated individuals to help him identify the issue and nurse the sick lion to health.
In Need Of Urgent Assistance
George knew he was going to need extra help. He decided to call in other rangers on his radio.
George also called his boss to report the situation.
Source: freepik.com
His boss also sensed the urgency, and decided action needed to be taken quickly. Soon his coworkers did arrive, and decided to contact a nearby Veterinarian. The Vet let them know not to get any closer to the lion, in fear they may be attacked.
Coworkers To The Rescue
George’s boss wanted to help protect the lion from whatever was causing its stomach to swell just as much as George. George appreciated his bosses and his coworkers’ willingness to assist the lion even in such a potentially dangerous situation for them.
Source: cathedraleye.com
He knew that the veterinarian, with her years of experience and great empathy would be the best choice for the lion to get the best care possible.
Emergency Sedation
The Vet informed everyone that she would be there as quickly as she could, but until then she needed the rangers to Sedate the lion. The rangers helped secure the area so the Veterinarian could work without risk of other animals approaching.
Source: penntoday.upenn.edu
George decided to be the one to sedate the lion, thankfully it worked quickly. The lion cooperated nicely with him as he did. The lion knew the humans could help.
Preparing For The Visit
Preparing for the Veterinarian to arrive was a big job in itself. Ensuring that the lion was sedated was a dangerous act, but had to be done so that the Vet could perform any physical examination that she would need to on the lion.
Source: goabroad.com
Working together with the other rangers to secure the area for the Veterinarian to have a safe and effective work space was also a challenge. They executed everything efficiently and waited on the vet.
Slowly But Surely
The lion was sedated, so the rangers felt a little more comfortable approaching the creature. They were close enough to the lion to notice the swollen part of his belly was at the top of his stomach.
Source: Tumblr
While everything was set up, the Vet was still not here. She educated the group that she was stuck in traffic during rush hour. Once she did arrive she had trouble finding everyone.
Stuck In A Jam
Due to traffic the Veterinarian was behind and worried if she were to arrive any later the lion would continue to get worse. Her goal was to get there as quickly as possible.
Source: health.clevelandclinic.org
Once she did arrive, she wasn’t sure where to go. She didn’t think it would be a wise idea to try to wander about the Savannah on her own. She could run into wild animals without any rangers around to help her.
Rushing To The Scene
The Veterinarian decided to reach out to the main headquarters, and thankfully she was told all the rangers were there including George!
Source: blog.sscor.com
The manager insisted on driving her to the location where the sick lion lay, in his jeep since it would be quite a voyage. The trip took three hours. The Veterinarian was on pins and needles waiting to arrive on the scene to help the rangers and the sick lion.
Waiting In Anticipation
George and the rangers on the scene grew worried and restless as they awaited the arrival of the veterinarian. Their biggest concern was the sedative wearing off before her arrival, and the lion waking up.
Source: oneforisrael.org
George was unsure what the temperament of the lion would be if that happened. They didn’t have any more sedatives left if this one was to wear off, so time was of the essence.
The Beast Awakens
The lion had woken up, and all the sedatives were gone. Now it was up to George and the rangers to figure out how to keep the lion in one space so that the Veterinarian could help him once she arrived.
Source: kent.ac.uk
This was everyone’s main concern, the lion waking up before the Vet could get there. The group decided to block the lion from leaving by circling around him in their jeeps.
Life Threatening Aggression
This plan didn’t prove to be the most effective. They could tell that the lion was beginning to get frustrated being blocked from roaming about as it pleased.
Source: twpart.com
They didn’t want to run the risk of making the lion feel trapped and then being attacked. The energy of the lion began to shift and it started to react aggressively. George and the rangers were immensely terrified. They were not sure what to do.
A Successful Administration
The Veterinarian finally arrived, and she had more sedatives. With the lion awake now and quite aggressive, everyone’s lives were at risk. The Veterinarian was brave and was willing to help no matter the impending danger.
Source: lpcentre.com
She got closer and closer to the lion. The rangers and George did their best to distract the lion as she approached.
The Vet was able to successfully administer the drug into the lion’s lower body.
Relieved And Overjoyed
It took some time for the lion to slow down. Once he began to slow, the veterinarian administered an additional dose of the medication to ensure he was completely unconscious.
Source: nth.nhs.uk
Once they were done with this great task the group was relieved and exhausted. The Veterinarian was right on time as they feared they could have lost their lives.
The Veterinarian came to the conclusion the lion ate something foreign.
Ultrasound
The Veterinarian had to investigate what the lion could have possibly eaten to cause this type of reaction. Even with all of her experience, she admitted she had never seen such a thing.
Source: mdpi.com
The Veterinarian insisted the lion needed an ultrasound so she could examine what he had eaten. The rangers fetched her equipment from the jeep. She was astounded and informed the rangers to contact the authorities as quickly as possible.
Surgery
The Veterinarian identified something being stuck in the lion’s stomach. The lion’s body wasn’t naturally breaking down what it had ingested. The Veterinarian found this quite strange. With that discovery she decided it was best to perform an emergency surgery right there.
Source: medilineplus.gov
She knew she’d be risking her own safety. The smell of the lion’s blood could attract other predators. Everyone remained looking out while the Veterinarian performed the surgery.
Operating
The Veterinarian knew that complications would arise, being that she wasn’t in her typical operation setting. They weren’t in a sterile operating room, so she had to be even more careful and technical as she sliced through the flesh of the lion.
Source: equicentervet.com
Finally the source of this abscess was apparent. She grabbed onto a piece of meat inside the lion that wasn’t digested and noticed a faint glowing coming from it.
Microchip
George informed the authorities and the Veterinarian he knew what it was and that it may have been a small microchip. He told the cops he had run into poachers in Savannah who were using trackers on the animals.
Source: equicentervet.com
George recalled the poachers escaping as they had been caught acting suspicious they dropped a device. When George showed the cops they knew it was a device that tracked microchips.
Everything Was Well
Everyone came to the conclusion that the poachers planted microchips so they could track and capture lions. It was a form of hunting that many of them did.
Source: mimscrubs.com
The lion was having trouble digesting the meat they were using so it caused the lion to react unfavorably. The Veterinarian made sure everything else concerning the creature was in good shape and began wrapping up the procedure. The lion now seemed to be in good health.
The Lion Wakes Up
Soon after the surgery the lion began to wake. Everyone is a good distance from him now that the surgery was completed. The lion looked a bit flustered, but soon began to walk away.
Source: Pixabay
Everyone was thrilled that they could play a part in helping the lion in his distressed state. He looked a lot better now than what he did going into the procedure. The Veterinarian told George to keep an eye on the lion’s mannerisms.
All's Well That Ends Well
The police informed everyone that the poachers responsible would be found and prosecuted. The police later conducted a long form investigation and found poachers and everyone who helped them do this.
Source: Tumblr
George and his fellow rangers were able to breathe knowing they were a part of ensuring the animals of Savannah were healthy and safe. To this day, George still makes it a priority to check on the lion to make sure he’s healthy.