Wounded elephant goes to humans at safari lodge for help after being shot by poachers

THIS is the heartbreaking moment an elephant approached humans for help after it was shot by poachers.

The bull elephant surprised guests at the Bumi Hills Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe when he approached the venue.

Manager Nick Milne soon realised that the animal, named Ben after the first member of staff to find him, was limping and appeared to be badZimly injured.

As it was a weekend, the lodge's in-house vet was away and so staff called for another who volunteered to fly 200 miles to help the elephant.

In the six hours it took for the vet to arrive Ben is said to have waited patiently nearby just drinking water and grazing.

After tranquilising the animal carrying out further examination, experts discovered a deep wound in Ben's shoulder - suspected to be the result of a poacher's bullet.

Nick Milne, the trust manager at not-for-profit organisation the Bumi Hills Foundation, told that the bull elephant, estimated to be at least 30 years old, made his way up a steep ridge to the lodge's staff houses on Saturday morning.

He said: "Logic would suggest that if an animal has an injury that considerably hampers its mobility, it would not attempt the climb and would rather stay on the level ground near water.

"The dart went into his rump perfectly and he only moved off a short distance in the seven minutes before he went down. He also landed perfectly on his haunches with his right side up a slope, the perfect position considering we needed to work on his left side."