A pair of vets calmly lassoed a giraffe by running after it with a rope to remove a poachers wire snared around its leg.

Joel Alves was called to news of a female that had been targeted by the illegal bushmeat trade in Hoedspruit, South Africa, on January 5.

High-octane footage captured the 33-year-old chase the giraffe after darting her with tranquiliser before pulling a rope in front of the animal’s legs.

After running along with the tall creature for 30 seconds, Joel eventually pulled it to the ground where the snare was removed and the giraffe was free to run off.

Joel said: “One of the key factors is that they do not simply go lie down and "sleep" as another species may do.

“It is a complex process mostly as a result of their unique physiology and anatomical adaptions which make immobilisation a tricky issue.

“There are usually a million different scenarios unfolding constantly during a giraffe capture but the main thing is to try and focus on getting good ropes around the giraffe, slowing it down and then tripping it up.

“You immediately want to administer the antidote to reduce the risk for the giraffe. So during the process there is often not much to think about except for what you are trying to achieve.

“As long as you have two people that know what they are doing with the ropes, it is typically enough.

“Communication between the trip-roping team is critical and it is important to try and stay calm and clear although many times it is inevitable that there is a level of coordinated chaos.”