SWT Aerial Report July 2019

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

JULY 2019

AERIAL STATISTICS

HOURS FLOWN

KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

JULY 2019

160.1

21,742

Tsavo East and West, Chyulu Hills, Amboseli, Rukinga Ranch, Amu Ranch, Kulalu and Galana ranches

JULY 2019

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY July saw an increase in illegal activities within the Parks and Protected Areas, which comes after the Aerial Unit has experienced several months of little to no activity. Although the lull in illegal activity has been very promising, it was a good reminder that our work is far from over. Despite relatively low poaching activity in the normal areas of operation covered by our de-snaring and anti-poaching ground teams, there was a sudden and dramatic surge in poaching, especially snaring, elsewhere in the conservation area.

Several injured animals were sighted by various organisations and tour companies during the month, and unfortunately the Tsavo Mobile Vet was away on annual leave for much of the month, and so the Aerial Unit made several flights to Amboseli to collect the Vet to conduct treatments in Tsavo. Two unresolved cases occupied much of the Aerial Units time during July with both cases in the same area on Kulalu Ranch, which borders Tsavo East National Park to the East.

The first of these cases was a snared lion that was sighted first by a tour company and again by scouts from Galana Conservancy a week later. On both occasions the lion and his companions had disappeared into thick bush by the time a fixed wing aircraft could get there with the vet. Although a valiant attempt was made to dart it on the second occasion, even tracking the lion on foot into thick riverine scrub, sadly it was impossible to get off a clean shot with the dart gun and the lion is still at large; searches are ongoing.

The second case was of an adult female elephant that had also been sighted by Galana Conservancy scouts with a terrible snare injury around its neck, shoulder and one ear. The ear appeared to be severely infected and so we were desperate to help. Frustratingly, the sighting was late in the evening, so we were forced to wait until the following morning to search for it, by which time it seemed to have disappeared completely from the area. We spent several days with two aircraft combing a huge area trying to find any sign of her, but unfortunately came up empty. There was no option but to hope for another sighting and a swift response. During the search, however, a young elephant calf was sighted, also with a snare injury, standing alone in the riverine forest only a few kilometres from where the adult was last seen. Seeing a young elephant on its own, the pilot first thought that it might be the calf of the other elephant now dead, but a moment later, the calf took a step and the pilot immediately noticed that it had a severe limp. Upon closer inspection, a large swelling on a forelimb was noted and a rescue plan was put in motion.

While we began to organise teams for a possible rescue, a vehicle from Galana Conservancy was able to approach the calf and confirm that it was indeed alone. Around two hours later, two vehicles with SWT scouts and elephant keepers from the Trust’s Voi Stockade joined the Galana Conservancy vehicle and a rescue operation was underway. The experienced elephant keepers were able to quickly immobilise the calf, while the pilot who originally sighted it, kept a watch overhead in case it made an escape. Things took a dramatic turn, however, when the rescue vehicle got bogged down in thick sand trying to position itself to extract the calf. The team would spend the next several hours trying to free the vehicle from the sand and arrange an alternative method of extraction. The calf’s injuries were also so severe that it was determined that a vet would be needed to stabilise the calf before transport. While the team on the ground did what they could to treat the very deep laceration caused by a snare on the calf’s front leg, the aircraft rushed to Voi to collect the KWS vet seconded to the SWT funded Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, who had only just returned from leave the previous day.

In the end, an excavator from the nearby ADC project in Galana was brought in to lift the calf and haul it out to the vehicle that would transport it to Voi for the night. By the time the calf was finally loaded, it was 9:30pm and everyone involved was exhausted. Tragically, although the calf slept well the first night and was successfully airlifted to the Trust’s Nairobi Nursery to receive intensive care, after only a few days it succumbed to a horrible infestation of massive worms. This is common with orphaned or abandoned elephant calves that are discovered in areas with high concentrations of livestock. In their weakened state, it can sometimes be too much for them to handle the infestation as well as the strong medicine required to kill the worms; this calf was in such poor body condition, further compromised by infection.

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This was not the only drama in July. On the 24th, the day started with the continued search for an elephant calf that was sighted 4 days previously by tourists in Tsavo East. For 3 days our teams had searched tirelessly trying to find the calf, which was limping badly on a swollen leg. The aircraft’s search was repeatedly cut short due to extremely strong winds that affected much of the country. Finally, the winds let up on the 24th and the Trust’s Super Cub was accompanied by a gyrocopter from Wildlife Works, who generously offered their assistance. Having two aircraft in the air enabled us to cover twice the ground and after more than an hour of searching, Wildlife Works’ pilot, Keith Hellyer excitedly radioed in with a positive sighting.

After confirming that it was the same calf, the SWT aircraft returned to base and began putting together a plan to collect the Amboseli Vet. Meanwhile, a SWT ground team moved into position nearby the elephant calf and its family to monitor its condition and keep track of their position. Upon arriving at Amboseli to collect the Vet; however, he received a phone call that a bull elephant had been spotted near a spring in Amboseli buried in thick mud and unable to escape. This being a potentially life-threatening situation, demanded immediate attention and the treatment of the calf was put on hold while we rushed to the scene. The elephant was found totally exhausted, having accidentally slipped into a thick, muddy swamp, fed by the adjacent spring. It had obviously struggled all night, sinking deeper and deeper into the mud as it tried desperately to get out.

It was immediately apparent that an operation to free the elephant would take several hours, so it was feared that the elephant calf might not be attended to the same day. Nevertheless, KWS rangers set about securing heavy-duty straps around the shoulders of the elephant, but unfortunately, the first attempts to tow it out of the mud by vehicle failed. The bank that the elephant was closest to was extremely steep and the ground that the towing vehicle had to travel over was rough and covered in deep holes, which were hidden by tall clumps of grass. The only option seemed to be to tow the elephant the opposite direction, potentially dragging it deeper into the swamp.

At this point, two Land Cruisers were working together to tow the elephant, whilst a KWS tractor was enroute to also help. One attempt after another failed until eventually, the elephant had been moved into a position that could be accessed from a better angle for the vehicles. At this moment, the tractor also appeared and the team went about clearing a new path next to the swamp, carrying large logs out of the way to make way for the elephant to be pulled out of the mud, whilst re-securing the straps around the elephant’s shoulders. The task of getting straps around the elephant in itself carried immense risk to the team – the elephant often reaching out with its long trunk to try and snag a ranger’s boot or tugging at the straps so swiftly and forcefully that fully grown men were thrown to the ground.

Despite this challenge, the team finally succeeded in attaching the elephant once more to the growing train of vehicles and after a gargantuan effort, the elephant emerged from the mud and was deposited on the bank. With anxious onlookers, the elephant managed slowly to get to his feet and with a massive relief for everyone involved, walked away to dry ground.

Attention returned to the limping elephant calf more than 100 miles away. SWT’s ground team was still on site and there was just enough light left in the day to attempt a treatment. In order to give us the best chance of darting and treating the calf in time, the Trust’s helicopter flew to Voi to meet Dr. Kariuki, now on his way by fixed wing.

Fortunately, the darting went off without a hitch, and after a swift treatment, the calf was reunited with its family as the sun fell towards the horizon. Although it was given a guarded prognosis – once the vet discovered that a possible fracture had led to a terrible infection in the joint – we were able to give this young elephant the best possible chance at survival. Our teams will continue to monitor its progress over the coming weeks and if necessary, the vet will return to conduct a follow-up treatment.

Our Aerial Unit assisted with two other veterinary cases. One, was a retreatment for a bull elephant with a bullet wound on its rear left leg that had been treated the previous month. The helicopter was used to dart the elephant and upon inspecting the wound, the vet was pleased to note that the healing progress was better than expected. The new prognosis was now much better than the original guarded assessment. The helicopter also assisted with darting an elephant found on Rukinga Ranch by Wildlife Works with a severe snare wound on its trunk.

In addition to these jobs, the helicopter also assisted ground teams fighting fires in the northern Chyulu Hills. The helicopter dropped water from a Bambi bucket to extinguish flames as well as dropping off rangers in strategic points to fight the fires from the ground. The fires were widespread, but fortunately affected mostly grassland as opposed to dense forest.

Regarding poaching activity, the helicopter conducted several anti-poaching patrols with KWS, discovering 2 recent shooting platforms in baobabs as well as several cooking fires in an area near the Tiva River. These were suspected to be connected to a recent elephant carcass found nearby. Only one case of human-wildlife conflict was attended to by the helicopter, where four elephants were successfully pushed out of the community and back into Kibwezi Forest.

During July, our K9 unit was receiving training from Invictus K9, and on multiple occasions, either fixed wing aircraft or the helicopter participated in simulated poacher tracking exercises. These involved a team of “poachers” whose tracks were picked up by the K9 unit following a helicopter drop-off. They followed tracks for up to 22 km and then once they had made visual confirmation of the “poachers,” either a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter was called in to assist in the final arrest. These exercises were a great opportunity for the K9 unit to demonstrate their newly acquired skills as well as building team cohesion and motivation.

Livestock incursions in July were minimal in Tsavo East; however, the Aerial Unit spent several days locating livestock herds and enclosures in Tsavo West in assistance to a KWS operation to push them out. This operation was largely successful; however, there are still a few areas that need more attention.

Highlights for July included lion and leopard sightings as well as the K9 exercises with Invictus K9.

Photographs copyright © 2019 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust