Poacher’s Diary Entry, Date: 24th September 2026.

“Recently, my gang and I set some snares inside Meru National Park. We are guaranteed to capture enough ungulates to make a tidy profit selling fresh meat to our butcher outlets. Another day, another shilling.”

Except, that is not what happened. Not even close.

What happened is this. In Meru National Park, a young male lion was found with a wire snare tightly constricting his neck, causing excruciating injuries that would have guaranteed him a harrowing, long-drawn-out death. The snare had not been set for him. It had been set for antelopes, zebras; even baby giraffes: For any ‘edible’ wild animal unfortunate enough to wander into it. But snares do not discriminate, consult a target list, or offer boxes to check off. They simply capture, cinch, cut and cancel a life.

A team comprised of KWS Meru National Park and Born Free staff stepped up. Ignoring an inner argument about whether there was energy for yet another emergency, one of the vets simply got to work. His hospitality gene saw him approach the injured lion, not as a threat, but as a patient. The lion, for his part, offered no defensive evasiveness, being too weak, exhausted, and worn down by debilitating pain to resist.

The teams cleaned and treated the injuries, removing the wire that had been slowly strangling him. They administered antibiotics and pain relief. Further triage revealed an injured testicle, suspected to have resulted from a fight-the teams treated that, as well.

Samples were collected for bio-banking, contributing to the broader scientific understanding of lion health and genetics.

The good news is, Simba’s recovery outlook is positive.

Helping him gives everyone’s inner conservationist a lot of satisfaction. There is something deeply rewarding about seeing an animal pulled back from the edge; about knowing that your hands, skills, and your decision to show up made the difference between life and an untimely death.

Regrettably, there is another side to wildlife conservation medicine. Knowing that Simba was circling the drain and being unable to help him would have been unbearable. That is the reality for conservation teams who arrive too late, find an animal already gone, and subsequently carry the weight of what could have been. Every intervention matters because every intervention is a chance to prevent that outcome.

Snares remain one of the most insidious threats facing Kenya’s wildlife. They are cheap, easy to set and indiscriminate in what they catch. They maim, kill, and introduce contaminated bushmeat into human food systems, threatening public health. The Kenya Wildlife Service #SayNoToBushmeat campaign continues to raise awareness about these dangers, encouraging communities to reject bushmeat and report illegal wildlife activities to the 24/7 toll-free hotline 0800 597 000.

The Meru rescue is a reminder that conservation is a shared responsibility which takes rangers, veterinarians, researchers, partners and communities working together. It takes people who refuse to look away when an animal is suffering.

Your support helps make wildlife rescue and veterinary interventions like this possible. Donate today and help us protect more wildlife, one life at a time. https://kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke/donate