SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Report for November 2023

SWT/KWS AMBOSELI MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT NOVEMBER 2023

Introduction

3 Cases in November

1 Leopard Case

2 Elephant Cases

November Report by Dr. Kariuki Edward The Southern Conservation Area experienced rainy weather in November 2023. The Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit attended to 3 veterinary cases comprising 2 species (a leopard and 2 elephants).

Fewer animals were treated over the reporting period due to the onset of heavy rains that resulted in limited accessibility to most parts of the parks and the ecosystem in general. Given that most cases attended to in the Conservation Area in previous months were attributed to human-wildlife conflict, the reduced case load in November could signal a reduction in human-wildlife conflict due to the abundance of forage and water.

Acknowledgement The Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit greatly appreciates the support and funding it continues to receive from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The team also appreciates all the staff and rangers from Kenya Wildlife Service, Big Life Foundation, and Amboseli Elephant Research for their company during veterinary interventions. Additionally, the team thanks everyone else who may not have been mentioned but supported the monitoring of distressed wildlife in areas of interest.

Case Details Date

Species

Area Found

Reason for Intervention

Outcome

02-Nov 23

Elephant

Kuku Group Ranch

Rescue

Male elephant calf found abandoned after a night of heavy rain.

Taken to Orphanage.

06-Nov 23

Leopard

Oltiasika, Chyulu

Postmortem

Fully decomposed leopard carcass found by rangers on patrol.

Died.

Undetermined cause

21-Nov 23

Elephant

Kitirua Conservancy

HWC

Adult male elephant with a spear wound on the left flank.

Successfully treated

SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations November 2023

Case 1 – 02nd November 2023 Elephant

Rescue

Kuku Group Ranch

This male elephant calf was found abandoned in Kuku Group Ranch.

Rescue No previous history of the calf before it was found could be established. The calf was abandoned after a night of heavy rain in the area. It is likely that the calf was unable to keep up with the family group as they transversed the area.

The calf looked emaciated, and the skull bones were prominent. The calf was also dehydrated. It was rescued in the pounding rain, wrapped in a warm blanket, and taken to the SWT Kaluku stockades for care and rehabilitation.

Case 2 – 06th November 2023 Leopard

Post-mortem

Oltiasika, Chyulu Hills

Big Life Foundation (BLF) rangers in Chyulu reported finding the carcass of an adult leopard while they were on foot patrol.

Post-mortem findings The leopard was fully decomposed and had been eaten away by maggots and beetles. Very little tissue was left for an examination to determine a logical cause of death. No history prior to the leopard’s death could be established.

The vet considered it likely that the leopard died from natural causes. The area the carcass was found has very thick bush and human activity is limited. Although, there have been cases of human-wildlife conflict in the general area, there was no known history of such conflict associated with this case.

Cause of death The cause of death could not be determined since the remains were fully decomposed and had been eaten away by maggots.

Case 3 – 21st November 2023 Elephant

HWC - Spear

Kitirua Conservancy

A researcher at Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Amboseli National Park reported this injured adult elephant bull.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment A vehicle was used to isolate the injured elephant bull from the family group to facilitate darting. The elephant was then darted from a vehicle with 15 mg Etorphine HCl and prevented from reaching the swamp using the vehicle. A penetrating wound was observed on the animal’s left dorsal-lateral flank.

It was suspected that the elephant bull suffered a spear wound during a human - wildlife conflict incident.

The wound was treated with Hydrogen peroxide and Iodine solution. Amoxicillin antibiotics were administered intramuscularly and Oxytetracycline spray applied onto the treated wound to cover for bacterial infection. The elephant was successfully revived with Naltrexone.

Prognosis The elephant bull has a good prognosis.