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The bullet that hit this elephant was inches away from being fatal. Luckily, the creature was able to find help just in time.

It all began when Pretty Boy the elephant was grazing in a field.

He was unaware of the poachers aiming for him.

The next thing he knew, a shot rang out, and Pretty Boy took a bullet to the head.

Amazingly, Pretty Boy was not killed by the shot. While he was staggered, he soon stood up again and was able to run away.

But soon, the pain became excruciating.

The agony kept on magnifying in Pretty Boy’s skull.

With no other options, Pretty Boy approached a human stood next to a car.

Luckily, this human was an animal lover. She was horrified to see the man-made wound on the elephant’s head and called a rescue organization, Aware Trust Zimbabwe.

When the rescuers arrived, they tranquilized Pretty Boy.

Soon, the elephant was asleep, and the vets examined him.

The vets performed an x-ray on Pretty Boy’s head. They discovered a deformed bullet in his skull.

The vets were amazed at how lucky Pretty Boy was. If the shot had landed just a little lower, the animal would have died.

The vets did what they could for Pretty Boy.

The bullet would continue to cause excruciating pain and eventually kill the animal if not treated. But operating on an elephant’s skull is an incredibly difficult procedure.

The vets proceeded with the surgery, doing their best to save Pretty Boy.

Luckily, they were able to extract the bullet without causing the animal any serious injury.

After a while, Pretty Boy woke up from the anesthetic. His head would still have been in excruciating pain from the operation. But his life was saved.

For some time, he rested against a tree. But eventually, the pain receded, and the elephant was able to stand up and walk around.

One day after the surgery, the rescuers checked up on Pretty Boy and were happy to see that he was recovering well.

“We were greatly relieved to see him the next day with a happier demeanor, stuffing his face with albida pods.” – Lisa Marabini, Founder and Director of Operations of Aware Trust.

Over the coming days, Pretty Boy continued to recover. The rescuers ensured that he was safe from any poachers.

A report on Pretty Boy’s story then made its way onto YouTube. It soon went viral.

To date, it has gained almost 14 million views. It also has more than 119,000 likes and 9,200 comments. People have been saying things like this:

Pretty Boy saw the worst and the best of humanity within a short span of time.

No elephant should have to endure the pain that he went through. However, when the animal started to recover, he must have been grateful to the people who saved his life. Hopefully, he will be able to thrive for many more years.

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Source: Inside Edition, National Geographic