By
DR. E. Ndambiri.
CASE
1.
Background
Information
Joe an adult male white rhino was found
dead in the morning of 16/2/2014 within Muhya Course way following gunshots in
the night of 15/2/2014. It had two horns intact. A postmortem was performed on
16/2/2014 to establish the cause of death.
Important
Postmortem Findings
1. It was found on right lateral
recumbence. Ears and anal area had been predated on.
2. Both horns were removed for
safe custody by Lake Nakuru National Park rhino team.
3. On examination two skin
puncture points were evident. One on the left metacarpal joint anteriorly
which
was probed and led to an exit on posterior side on the same joint. The same
joint depicted bruise anteriorly. The second one was at left eye dorsoposteriolaterally.
It was probed and led to neck after fracturing frontal bone. It was tracked
parallel to the cervical vertebrae distally and was lodged at left humeral neck
where it caused complete fracture. The soft tissue along the bullet truck was
highly damaged and riddled with blood due to heavy hemorrhage following gunshot
wounds. The single bullet head recovered was handed to rhino warden.
Conclusion
The two gunshots
on the same limb incapacitated the mobility of the white rhino and caused
massive haemorrhage after tearing brachial plexus. The white rhino died of
circulatory shock.
Pictorial Presentation
Dead
white rhino
Point
of bullet head entry
Bullet
head entry and exit point
Massive hemorrhage
Fracture
at metacarpal joint
Bullet
head track
Lodged
bullet head
Retrieving
bullet head
Retrieved
bullet
Important
Postmortem Findings
1. It was found on sternal
recumbence with two horns intact. Its skin depicted several natural wounds. It
was in poor body condition and mucus membranes were pale.
2. Both horns were removed for
safe custody by Lake Nakuru National Park rhino team.
3. On examination two distinct
movable swellings were palpable on the left side of neck. The left side of neck
and left fore limb area was skinned to expose the swellings. The larger
swelling was at mid neck region caudal to a smaller one which was just behind
the occipital bone. As the two swellings were being excised behind the larger
one and near the cervical vertebrae was a bullet head lodged in the muscles.
The bullet head was recovered and the two swelling were excised. They were hard
mass with large one weighing two kilograms and small one weighing one kilogram.
Nothing was found inside. They were hard muscle-like masses. The discovery of
the bullet led to thorough search for any foreign metallic object by use of
metal detector.
4. Two bullet heads were
discovered near the occipital bone behind the location of small swelling lodged
in the muscles beneath nuchal ligament. Another bullet head was detected distal
to the location of big swelling in the cervical muscles. The fifth one was
detected on the right side of the mid neck lodged in the muscles. The chest was
opened and explored with metal detector. Pleural adhesions were evident and
lungs were swollen. Pericardial sac had been teared at apex. The liver was
covered with fibrin which had organized itself as fiber network. The stomach
cavity was explored and the sixth bullet head was discovered at omentum near
ventral colon on the left side. More exploration led to the discovery of a
seventh bullet head in the left colon lumen mixed with colon fermentation
material.
5. There were no tracks leading to
where these bullet heads were lodged. Possibly they healed because the
condition had been a long standing one. This made tracking difficult but the
metal detector helped a lot. The two masses excised are believed to be hardened
pus abscesses.
Conclusion
The seven gun
shots caused silent death which was attributed to massive organ failures
especially the heart, lungs and liver.
Pictorial
Presentation
Rhino
on sternal recumbence
swelling
on the neck
swelling
after skinning
Small
swelling when cut open
1st
bullet head
2nd
bullet head
3rd
bullet head
4th
bullet head
5th
bullet head
6th
bullet head
7th
bullet head
All
seven retrieved bullet heads
No comments:
Post a Comment