The strike happened so fast, the rangers didn’t even see it. Jerry had let out a yelp and began shaking his head in pain.
After rushing to the super dog, Honeyguide’s head of the Dog Tracker Unit, Lembris Kephas, discovered what seemed to be snake fang marks just below Jerry’s left eye. Within minutes, the German shepherd couldn’t walk or even stand.
As Rocky began to whine and cry out for his canine comrade, Kephas and company went into emergency care mode. Always carrying a complete wilderness medical kit, the team quickly injected Jerry with Colvasone and treated him with blackstone, a traditional method for doctoring snake bites.
They also called Rocky and Jerry’s original trainer extraordinaire, Will Powell, who had been on assignment in Ethiopia at the time, for further guidance, and they later transported Jerry to a top veterinarian in Arusha, some two hours away.
It remains unclear as to the snake species that bit Jerry, but Kephas believes it might have been a spitting cobra, whose venom might not be as potent as that of a black mamba but it’s enough to kill a canine.
“We were all nervous and could not eat the entire day,” said Kephas. “But we are professionals and know how to care for the animals no matter what.”
Fortunately, the fast actions of Kephas and the Dog Tracker Unit, which is funded by Big Life Foundation, saved Jerry. After receiving additional medication from the veterinarian, Jerry returned to his feet and was cleared to travel back to his kennel in West Kilimanjaro.
“In three days, Jerry seemed back to normal and went back to work,” said Kephas. “Also Rocky could not have been happier. He cried the whole time his friend was away.”
