Ensnared

This African elephant seems to have had it's trunk ensnared - it is cut almost all the way through and flopped down when the elephant raised it's trunk. The image is from the Kruger National Park in SA. In all 3rd world environments poaching is a continuous challenge, where the poor have few options and often poach to sustain their families. Along with this, the continued lure of rich syndicates also adds further influence to a finely balanced situation. The western view of protecting animals at all costs is often in opposition to the local one, where people are simply trying to fend for themselves. And through all of this, our precious wildlife is caught in the middle...

This elephant seemed to be getting along OK, but in reality this injury will influence almost everything that it ever does in a negative way.