Wildlife experts at the San Diego Zoo found that a rhinoceros under their care actually came very close to becoming part of a poacher's kill count long before they were able to rescue the poor animal in November 2015.
Jill Hampson, a mammal keeper at the zoo's Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center, discovered a small black object sticking out of a wound on a 3,000-pound rhinoceros named Wallis. She was giving the animal a presurgical examination when she spotted the mysterious object.
Hampson decided to ask Dr. Jim Oosterhuis, one of the San Diego Zoo's veterinarians, to have a look at Wallis's wound. They soon found that it was a fragment from a bullet that was stuck in the animal's flesh.
Oosterhuis proceeded to reach into the rhino's wound using his Leatherman tool, grab the black object, and pull it out. What came out was a large metal ring complete with jagged edges.
Mysterious Bullet Fragment
The bullet fragment pulled from Wallis seems to be that of a bullet jacket. This is the soft copper or brass coating applied to lead bullets to help them penetrate objects much easier.
According to Oosterhuis, the casing may have already been peeled away from the actual bullet after penetrating Wallis's thick skin and lodging itself under one of the animal's ribs. It was fortunate that the object wasn't able to puncture one of her lungs or go through her thoracic cavity, which holds many of her key organs.
While Oosterhuis believes that the lead bullet itself could still be inside Wallis's body, he hasn't seen any sign of further injury on the rhino linked to the object.
Animal caretakers at the San Diego Zoo have been trying to solve the mystery behind the wound on Wallis for more than a year now. They first noticed it when the rhino arrived at the park and even tried to treat it with saline solution and antibiotic ointments, but it still wouldn't heal.
Wallis's caretakers then speculated that the wound might have been from a bullet shot, especially since the animal was rescued from a region where many southern white rhinos have been shot by poachers before. Confirming their theory, however, wouldn't be an easy task.
Before opting to remove the object through surgery, Oosterhuis and Wallis's caretakers took every precautionary measure to make sure that it was indeed a bullet fragment and that no other non-invasive procedures was available.
Oosterhuis said the injury on Wallis is beginning to heal nicely following the removal of the fragment.
The San Diego Zoo is now planning to have the bullet fragment analyzed by forensic scientists before having it placed in an exhibit. The object is a reminder to the public about the dangers that wild animals such as rhinos face.
Once park officials determine what type of gun and caliber of bullet was used, it will hand over the information to officials from the South African reserve where the wounded rhino was rescued.
