SWT/KWS Mobile Veterinary Units Quarterly Report January- March 2022

SWT/KWS MOBILE VETERINARY UNITS TSAVO, MARA, MERU, AMBO MT KENYA, RIFT VALLEY January – March 2022 Report

Introduction

185 Cases

68 Poaching Cases

43 Elephant Cases

15 Predator Cases

10 HWC Cases

68% Success

January – March 2022 Report for Tsavo, Mara, Meru, Amboseli, Mt Kenya and Rift Valley Units The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) operate six Mobile Veterinary Units in the Tsavo, Mara, Amboseli, Mount Kenya, Meru and Rift Valley Regions. Within the quarter, all six of the SWT/KWS Vet Units attended to a total of 185 wildlife cases involving 367 animals.

Of the 185 cases, 68 cases were related to poaching. The majority of these were snaring cases with 48 snaring cases attended to as well as 11 spear, 7 arrow and 1 bullet wound. There was also one case where poachers were chasing an eland with dogs but thankful the Vet Unit were able to assist it in escaping. There were also 10 human-wildlife conflict cases, including the death of a hyena after it attacked a child, 2 injuries related to fencing, 1 buffalo electrocuted by a fence and a giraffe that was likely hit by a vehicle. Several animals were also relocated due to proximity with human settlements or crop destruction.

Of all the cases, 43 involved elephants; 2 snared, 9 speared, 4 arrows, 1 bullet wound, 9 for natural causes, 5 post-mortems, 9 rescues and 3 collarings. The remaining cases involved 15 predators, 6 rhinos, 79 plains game, 20 giraffes, 7 buffalo as well as ostrich, security dog, marabou stork, warthog, hippo and laughing doves. Overall, the Units had a 68% success rate and only 5% death rate due to poaching or HWC. The Units also conducted 5 research/surveys across the country. The Rift Valley assessed giraffe condition/habitat in Soysambu Conservancy, assessment of the impacts of the drought in Lake Nakuru National Park and investigations into the status of the Sitatunga antelope in Saiwa Swamp National Park. The Tsavo Vet Unit conducted two investigations into mass mortalities of laughing doves in Tsavo East NP.

Case Details Elephant Predators Rhino Plains Game Giraffe Buffalo Poaching HWC Natural Causes Post-mortem Rescue Collared Research/ Survey Relocation Technical Cases Grand Total

16 9 5 9 3

1 43

2 2 5 3

1 2 3

32 3 30 5 2

10 1 7

1 5 1 79

1 1

2 2 1 1 1

Other

Grand Total

6 1 3

68 10 57 17 12 6 5 7 3 185

3

15

6

20

7

3 1 1 15

185 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Vet Units January - March 2022 80

70

.

60

50

Other Buffalo

40

Giraffe Plains Game Rhinos

30

Predators Elephant

20

10

0 Poaching

Human Wildlife Conflict

Natural Causes

Postmortem

Rescue

Collared

Research/ Survey

Relocation

Technical Cases

78 Poaching and HWC Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Vet Units January - March 2022 60

50

40 Other Buffalo 30

Giraffe Plains Game Rhinos

20

Predators Elephant

10

0 Arrow

Bullet Wound

Snared Poaching

Spear

Dog Attack Fencing

Human Items

Livestock Relocation Predation

Human Wildlife Conflict

Other

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Vet Units January - March 2022

Reunited with Mother 0%

Prognosis Poor 8% Poaching Death HWC 3%

Successful Cases 69%

Death 2% Died 12%

Taken to Orphanage 6%

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Vet Units January - March 2022 Rift Valley Vet

70

Mt Kenya

24

Amboseli

7

4 12

Meru

8

2 3

Mara

10

Tsavo

8

0 Successful Cases

2

5

4

21 3

9

7

11 2 1

121 3 1

10

20

Reunited with Mother

30

40

Prognosis Poor

50 Poaching Death

60 HWC Death

70 Died

80 Taken to Orphanage

90

SWT/KWS Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations Tsavo – Mara – Meru – Amboseli – Mt Kenya – Rift Valley January – March 2022

SWT/KWS TSAVO MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

16 Cases

5 Poaching Cases

8 Elephant Cases

The much-awaited rains finally arrived in December which was a great relief to the wildlife and the surrounding community. Though the rains were a blessing, many animals were either too weak to withstand the ravages of drought or their guts were not accustomed to the drastic change from dry forage to lush green sprouting forage. By February the rains stopped in the Tsavo and Coast Ecosystem with surface water drying up fast and the lush green vegetation vanishing. Unfortunately, the dry spell continued into March and the majority of cases were natural, with two elephant rescues, all most likely due to the poor conditions. There were four elephant poaching cases and 1 lion that was snared around the neck.

185 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Vet Units January - March 2022 6

5

4

Other Giraffe Plains Game

3

Rhinos Predators 2

Elephant

1

0 Poaching

Natural Causes

Postmortem

Rescue

Research/ Survey

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Tsavo Vet Unit January - March 2022

Reunited with Mother 6% Successful Cases 50% Prognosis Poor 13%

Died 19%

Poaching Death 6%

Taken to Orphanage 6%

SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January – March 2022

January 2022

To see the full report for Tsavo Vet Unit for the month of January 2022 click here

February 2022

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March 2022

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SWT/KWS MARA MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

15 Cases

12 Poaching Cases

9 Elephant Cases

There was moderate precipitation in February and March providing enough water and forage for wildlife use. Many elephants have returned to the National Reserve and surrounding Conservancies after they dispersed to Community Areas in 2021. There is also an increase in visitation to the Conservation area compared to last year. Most treatments carried out among the various species were caused by humans with 12 of the 15 cases directly related to poaching, 6 of which involved elephants. One baby elephant required rescue after suffering gunshot wounds to his right hind leg and his chances of survival in the wild were considered minimal. There was also 1 snared and 2 speared giraffes as well as 1 snared warthog.

15 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Mara Vet Unit January - March 2022 14

12

10 Other 8

Giraffe Plains Game

6

Predators Elephant

4

2

0 Poaching

Natural Causes

Postmortem

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Mara Vet Unit January - March 2022

Prognosis Poor 6%

Poaching Death 7% Successful Cases 67% Died 13%

Taken to Orphanage 7%

SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January – March 2022

January 2022

The Mara Vet Unit were on leave for the month of January

February 2022

To see the full report for Mara Vet Unit for the month of February 2022 click here

March 2022

To see the full report for Mara Vet Unit for the month of March 2022 click here

SWT/KWS MERU MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

13 Cases

2 Poaching Cases

2 Elephant Cases

January was expected to be dry as a signal of the start of the dry period, but fortunately this was not the case, and it was rainier and cooler than expected. This is thought to have been contributed to the delay of the rains at the end of 2021. The rains continued into February, which was also unusually wet, but this fizzled out by March which was relatively dry. These rains have caused massive vegetation regeneration making enough forage available for the wild animals more so within protected areas. The availability of water and food saw animals with a good body condition being sighted across the Meru ecosystem. Cases related to human involvement remained low throughout the quarter and the majority of cases were of a natural cause.

13 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Meru Vet Unit January - March 2022 7

6

5

4

Giraffe Plains Game

3

Rhinos Elephant

2

1

0 Poaching

Human Wildlife Conflict

Natural Causes

Postmortem

Technical Cases

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Meru Vet Unit January - March 2022

Prognosis Poor 15%

Successful Cases 62%

Died 23%

SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January – March 2022

January 2022

To see the full report for Meru Vet Unit for the month of January 2022 click here

February 2022

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March 2022

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SWT/KWS AMBOSELI MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

21 Cases

5 Poaching Cases

8 Elephant Cases

The Amboseli/Chyulu Ecosystem received good rains in January and February but unfortunately the areas adjacent remained dry. This led to livestock incursions including across the Kenyan/Tanzania border. The heavy livestock movement is expected to influence the endemic disease status. During February, there were also a high number of wildebeest and zebra births. Despite the encroachment of people and livestock, human-wildlife conflict incidents were minimal with only 2 reported; the death of a giraffe due to a vehicle collision and the retaliation killing of a hyena that attacked a child. Unfortunately, there were 3 speared elephants, 2 of which were treated successfully and 1 which died due to peritonitis.

21 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Amboseli Vet Unit January - March 2022 8 7 6 Other

5

Buffalo 4

Giraffe Plains Game

3

Predators Elephant

2 1 0 Poaching

Human Wildlife Conflict

Natural Causes

Postmortem

Technical Cases

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Amboseli Vet Unit January - March 2022

Prognosis Poor 19%

Poaching Death 5%

HWC Death 10%

Successful Cases 33%

Died 33%

SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January – March 2022

January 2022

To see the full report for Amboseli Vet Unit for the month of January 2022 click here

February 2022

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March 2022

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SWT/KWS MT KENYA MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

40 Cases

10 Elephant Cases

3 Poaching Cases

During this Quarter, the Mt Kenya Veterinary Unit attended to 40 wildlife cases in the Laikipia and Mt. Kenya region, even travelling to Garissa and Mwea National Park. The Unit provide great assistance to Mt Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in treating and relocating the endangered Mountain Bongo’s which is essential to the captive breeding program. There were only 3 poaching and human-wildlife conflict cases involving 3 snared giraffes, 2 relocations of zebras and the relocation of a cheetah and her 5 cubs after she gave birth in a compound and was preying on livestock. Ten warthogs were also relocated within Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy to reduce competition for pasture. The Unit also rescued 6 baby elephants and 2 abandoned zebra foals.

40 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Vet Unit January - March 2022 18 16 14 12 Other Giraffe

10

Plains Game 8

Rhinos Predators

6

Elephant 4 2 0 Poaching

Human Wildlife Natural Causes Conflict

Postmortem

Rescue

Relocation

Technical Cases

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Meru Vet Unit January - March 2022 Prognosis Poor 5%

Died 12%

Successful Cases 60%

Taken to Orphanage 23%

SWT/KWS Mt Kenya Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January – March 2022

January 2022

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February 2022

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March 2022

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SWT/KWS RIFT VALLEY MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT OVERVIEW January – March 2022

80 Cases

41 Poaching Cases

48 Plains Game Cases

At the start of the Quarter many parts of Lake Naivasha and the Central Rift Conservation Area received sporadic showers. However, the region generally experienced a dry spell, with pasture and browse availability slowly decreasing. Generally, there was limited vegetation, but towards the end of March the seasonal rains began which will hopefully rejuvenate the area. The Unit has had a very busy start to the year, and as poaching is still rampant, 50% of these cases were related to poaching. The main method of poaching is through snaring for bushmeat, with zebras being the most common target. 26 zebras were attended to for snare wounds as well as giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, oryx, elephant, warthog and hippo. The Unit also successfully treated 2 ostriches for arrow wounds.

80 Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Vet Unit January - March 2022 45 40 35 30

Other Buffalo

25

Giraffe Plains Game

20

Rhinos 15

Predators Elephant

10 5 0 Poaching

Human Wildlife Natural Causes Conflict

Rescue

Collared

Research/ Survey

Relocation

Outcomes of Cases Attended to by the SWT/KWS Rift Valley Vet Unit January - March 2022

Prognosis Poor 5% Successful Cases 87%

Poaching Death 3% HWC Death 1% Died 4%

SWT/KWS Rift Valley Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January - March 2022

January 2022

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February 2022

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March 2022

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