Last week in Kenya, a group of people were walking by an empty septic pit when they suddenly noticed a huge animal stuck at the bottom. As they stopped to investigate, they were shocked to realize that the animal was a lioness.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The septic pit was 15 feet deep, so there was no way the feline would have been able to escape by herself. It was clear that she was exhausted and needed support as quickly as possible.
“The lioness had likely fallen into the pit the night before, meaning she had been trapped for nearly 24 hours,” Sean Michael, director of communications at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), told The Dodo.
The people who’d discovered the animal called Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and SWT for help. The rescue teams rushed to the scene and immediately got to work assessing the lioness’s condition.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“She appeared visibly frightened, stressed and dehydrated,” Michael said.
It took a team of six people to safely extract the cat from the pit. First, Dr. Limo, a vet with SWT, sedated the lioness so she would be more comfortable. Then, the rescuers lowered ladders down into the pit, secured the animal in a tarp and used ropes to lift her out.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Once the lioness was back to safety, the rescue team conducted a thorough examination and determined that she miraculously was doing OK.
“Dr. Limo … confirmed that the lioness had not sustained any injuries from the fall,” Michael said.
After a little rest and some intravenous fluids, the lioness was feeling rejuvenated. Since she was already doing so well, the experts determined that she was able to be released back into the wild that same evening.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
SWT transported the lioness to Tsavo East National Park, where she wouldn’t encounter any more human-made hazards.
“She was released in a location where she could reunite with her pride,” Michael said.
Now that she’s at the national park, the SWT team can continue to monitor her from a distance. They are grateful to have been able to save the life of such a special animal who’d found herself stuck in a dire situation.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“[A]fter a challenging rescue mission, the team were relieved to see her walk free,” Michael said.
