Elephant shot in forehead seeks aid when help arrives

An injured elephant in Zimbabwe motioned for assistance when help finally arrived after it wandered around a park for weeks with a massive gunshot wound on its head.

The elephant, named Pretty Boy, was shot in the forehead, which was "too high for a kill shot" according to experts, reports Inside Edition.

Pretty Boy walked right up to veterinarians Dr Keith Dutlow and Dr Lisa Marabini for aid when they arrived inside Mana pools National Park on June 13, according to Facebook page of AWARE (Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust).

The two vets then examined the elephant, tranquilised him so they could take X-rays and get a better understanding of how bad was his injury, and  found that the bullet was lodged just 5 centimeters from the open wound in his forehead.

"The X-ray, which in our opinion, confirms the presence of a 'mushroomed' bullet that has glanced off the skull and lodged under the skin - which has caused a fracture of the sinus turbinate bones at the level of the entry wound. The opacity in the sinuses adjacent to the entry wound is suggestive of pus in that area," they wrote on Facebook.

"He was lucky. The bullet must have glanced off the surface of his skull. After the first shot he must have turned to flee. The perpetrator fired another shot at his heart, because he had another abscess in his shoulder," Dr Marabini told Sky News.

After waking up from the tranquilizer drugs, Pretty Boy slept with his head pressed against a tree for half an hour.

The elephant is recovering inside the park at present and the vets will return for routine checkups.