SWT Aerial Surveillance Report - December 2019

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

DECEMBER 2019

AERIAL STATISTICS

HOURS FLOWN

KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

DECEMBER 2019

102.1

14,476.30

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Chyulus, KARI Ranch, Rukinga Ranch, Kasigau Ranch, Amboseli

DECEMBER 2019

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY December is always a quiet month since ample water from Tsavo’s primary rainy season fills all the waterholes across the Parks, spreading out wildlife populations and making it more difficult for poachers to operate, whilst many would be poachers also mostly return home to plant and tend to crops on their farms. .

One veterinary job was attended to in December of an emaciated lion near Voi that had been spotted near the main gate with porcupine quills protruding from its face. With the Voi Veterinary Unit unavailable as it was on annual leave, the Amboseli vet was collected from Amboseli Head Quarters and flown to Voi to treat the lion, which was found to also be suffering from a severe case of mange.

It is thought that its compromised condition is the reason that it took a chance on the porcupine. The lion was treated for the mange as well as having the porcupine quills removed and being administered with an antibiotic and antiinflammatories

The helicopter also attended to 2 HWC callouts to push elephants out of community farms and back into protected areas. The first was a herd of 13 elephants, 10 of which were successfully pushed back into Chyulu Hills National Park through a section of removed fence. The elephants had to be led in difficult conditions through a small section of lava flow, so unfortunately 3 elephants were unable to be guided back into the Park through the hole in the fence, however, it is believed that they left the area and returned to the Park via another route the following night. Another case was attended to near Sagalla Hill, where a herd of 10 elephants were successfully pushed out of farms and into neighbouring Sagalla Ranch.

One notable sighting in December was the Tiva River in full spate. The river had completely burst its banks and extended over a km wide in some places. Both airstrips in Ndiandaza were half submerged in water. Fortunately, KWS had already evacuated the permanent camp on the north bank of the river, for they would have been completely surrounded by water and unable to escape by vehicle.

Photographs copyright © 2019 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust