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AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

FEBRUARY 2021

AERIAL STATISTICS

FEBRUARY 2021

151 HOURS FLOWN

19,797 KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

Amu Ranch, Rukinga, Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, Tsavo East and West, Chyulu Hills

FEBRUARY 2021

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY Human elephant conflict (HEC) continued in February but was limited to a small area along and to the north of the Mtito River, which forms part of the boundary of Tsavo East National Park. A frequent culprit was a bull known as ‘Ngiluni’ who was collared in the same area and relocated to Tsavo West in January. Unfortunately, within 2 days he was back in the same area and has necessitated a number of helicopter sorties to push him back into the Park. In addition to the numerous occasions when Ngiluni was attended to (either on his own or in the company of other bulls), the helicopter attended to 4 other HEC cases in this area; 3 of these were to push multiple herds of elephants back into the Park, and 1 was the unsuccessful search for a herd of problem elephants that had been reported by the communities in the Lukenya area. Most cases were attended to by the helicopter alone, however, on one occasion the helicopter was assisted by a fixed wing aircraft that helped to locate herds of elephants.

Generally, there was a reduction in illegal livestock sightings in February, with small numbers of herds being detected in relatively close proximities to boundaries in Tsavo East; however, patrols in Tsavo West discovered as many as 8 livestock enclosures in a single patrol. On this occasion, a further 2500 cattle in 9 herds were observed. All coordinates were passed on to KWS for action. Poaching activity remained minimal in February with 5 incidents recorded, including a recent cooking fire, 2 week-old shooting blinds, one old shooting platform and a non-active hideout in a baobab. No fresh poaching activity was observed, and no elephant carcasses were recorded in the month. Some logging activity was observed in the northwest of Tsavo East, with a total of 3 cut trees sighted, and again, no fresh activity.

Only one veterinary case was attended to with aerial support and that was on Rukinga Ranch where a giraffe was spotted by Wildlife Works gyrocopter pilot, Keith Hellyer, with an arrow in its neck. Although the treatment was successful, the giraffe was given a guarded prognosis. As of today, the giraffe has not been seen again, but neither has a carcass, so we are hopeful that it continues to make a recovery. Later in the month, a report from one of the ground teams came in that a bull elephant had been seen leaving the community and walking back into the Park with a fresh injury to his trunk. A large, vertical gash was seen on its trunk, despite an extensive search the following day by fixed wing, unfortunately, he was not seen again.

While the largescale charcoal operation that has persisted intermittently for the last several years in the northeast corner of Tsavo East remained dormant, there was a sudden increase in charcoal activity in Gazi, which has been under control for the last 4 years. One helicopter patrol discovered 5 charcoal kilns in close proximity, as well as 2 charcoal burners’ camps. Follow-up was conducted by a ground team and all charcoal kilns/camps were destroyed. One more helicopter patrol was conducted, and a further 2 charcoal kilns and 1 camp were found and destroyed. Towards the end of the month, a fixed wing was called to assist in the search for a tourist vehicle that had gotten stuck in the Park the night before. The driver was able to call KWS for help, but reported his position incorrectly and the rangers, who searched the entire night, were unable to locate the vehicle. The following morning, however, the vehicle was quickly located by our pilot in a dry riverbed, stuck in deep sand. A patrol vehicle was in the area and was able to quickly reach the stranded tourists and offer assistance. Other illegal activity observed in Tsavo West included an active gemstone mine, coordinates provided to ground teams for action. The usual highlights included multiple sightings of leopard and wild dog.