The past few months, Big Life has been steadily recording the sobering tally of wildlife that has succumbed to drought, been poached for bushmeat, or perished for various other reasons relating to the lack of rain.

While the death toll has been steep, there are many more animals that Big Life has been able to save, and last week provided one such example.

Despite moving so gracefully, giraffes aren’t always as nimble on their feet as you might expect. With their eyes so much higher than their feet, they can sometimes miss low-lying objects like wire fences intended to contain livestock. We suspect this was the reason why this male giraffe was having difficulties walking.

Fortunately for him, he was spotted by community members near Mbirikani town, who alerted Big Life. A car was soon at the scene to monitor the giraffe, while a team of KWS and Sheldrick vets were called in from Amboseli to treat it. The giraffe was administered with antibiotics, had his ticks removed, and his wounds disinfected and doused with a healthy splash of iodine. He was back on his feet ten minutes later and his future now looks a lot brighter as a result.

We’re grateful to our partners for helping this lucky, lanky giraffe get back on his feet.

Video: Josh Clay