SWT AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT REPORT MARCH 2021

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

MARCH 2021

AERIAL STATISTICS

MARCH 2021

151 HOURS FLOWN

22,577 KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Rukinga Ranch, KARI Ranch, Chyulu Hills NP, Ol Donyo Wuas, Kimana Wildlife Corridor

MARCH 2021

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY March was another month with an overwhelming number of human-elephant conflict (HEC) cases recorded – a continual reminder of the future of conservation in Kenya. At least for now, poaching in Kenya, and especially in Tsavo is relatively under control. But with the increase in security, elephants are feeling comfortable venturing out of the Park and into more settled areas and at the same time, there has been a steady growth of land under cultivation in what were previously protected buffer zones around the Park.

This combination is resulting in more conflict between elephants and humans. SWT has been addressing these issues and we have been constructing electric fences to reduce and/or eliminate cases of human-elephant conflict in sensitive areas where there it a viable and sensible option, but there are areas vital for connectivity and fences here are not an option if elephant populations are to traverse their migratory routes between these protected areas.

We have been engaging communities in a conservation templates and continue to build upon the mechanisms we need in place to alleviate the problems quickly and efficiently, which is why we have also invested in elephant translocation equipment. We also conduct regular patrolling with our Supercubs, and the ability for our two helicopters to help push elephants back into the protected areas and out of communities, is invaluable.

In March, 12 incidences of human-elephant conflict were responded to, either by helicopter or fixed wing (to visually confirm reports that have come in from sources on the ground). Some of these operations were successful, such as one occasion when a huge herd of around 40 elephants was pushed away from farms and back towards Tsavo East National Park. The elephants had been causing huge amounts of damage along the Galana River, where poor farmers have all but given up trying to grow crops.

Other operations were not as successful and searches from the air were not able to locate elephants that had supposedly been reported in the community, or where electric fences, despite having had their wires removed, prevented elephants from being able to be pushed back into the Park. Two such cases, along the northwest boundary of Tsavo West, resulted in a herd of between 20-25 being pushed all the way up to where a section of the fence had been removed before they turned tail and ran under the helicopter and back into the community. Fortunately, these elephants, despite causing anxiety for the residents, have a large area of bush that they tend to limit their movements to and do very little damage to crops.

The helicopter was also called to assist with an HEC case further afield in the area bordering Kimana Sanctuary in Amboseli. A lone bull had found himself on the outside of the Kimana Corridor fence and was threatening local farmers.

Unfortunately, attempts by the helicopter, assisted on the ground by two Big Life vehicles, were unsuccessful in pushing him back into the safety of the corridor, he just stood defiantly ignoring the helicopter. Thankfully, he did then decide to move himself off the following day, so the situation was diffused.

Thankfully, poaching activity for elephants and rhinos remains low, the only sighting was of a very old poachers’ camp, deep within the Park towards the end of the Yatta Plateau. On a routine patrol, a helicopter spotted what looked like a campfire in a cave under a rock. A follow-up helicopter patrol with a team from the K9 Unit established the camp’s age and confirmed that no recent activity had taken place there. Bushmeat poaching on the boundaries of the National Parks is escalating and more K9 Unit patrols in support of the anti-poaching teams are being deployed.

No charcoal burning activity was detected in any of the National Parks, including in the Gazi area of Tsavo East, where several camps and kilns had been found on a helicopter flight in the previous month. It seems that the aerial patrols conducted the previous month were successful in stopping this activity completely. There was significant charcoal burning activity recorded on Kulalu Ranch outside of the Park; however, we have been informed that this activity has been sanctioned. Although no charcoal activity was noted in the Parks, there was recent general logging activity sighted in the northern area of Tsavo East. Coordinates were provided to a joint KWS/SWT team for follow-up; however, no arrests were made.

Only one elephant carcass was sighted in March during a fixed wing aerial patrol along the Tsavo River. One tusk was visible from the air and coordinates were relayed to a helicopter pilot who collected the K9 team and retrieved the ivory. While on the ground they searched the area extensively for the other tusk but were unsuccessful in locating it.

The single tusk, weighing just over 5 kg, was handed over to KWS-Kamboyo for safekeeping.

Nearby, on a separate patrol, signs of arson were noted, and was suspected to have been caused by a well-known, mentally ill man who often resides within the Park, evading law-enforcement and setting light to random trees.

Coordinates were passed on to KWS for follow-up.

Only one veterinary case required assistance from the Aerial Unit in Tsavo during the month. Upon receiving word from Big Life that rangers had spotted ‘One Ton’ with an infected wound, we organised an urgent veterinary treatment.

One of our fixed-wing pilots flew up to Nanyuki in our new Cessna Caravan to collect Dr. Mijele and the whole SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Vet Unit Team. Ground and aerial teams then converged in the Chyulus, where One Ton was sheltering in an acacia forest. Over the course of an hour, our helicopter pilot coaxed the giant elephant out of the dense forest, so he could be darted for treatment. Once sedated, the teams set about turning him over, since he had fallen on the wrong side. The wound was even more serious than initially though, penetrating at least a foot deep into his neck. The size and angle of the injury suggest it was not inflicted by humans and was more likely caused by a fight with another bull. The wound was nevertheless cleaned out thoroughly and once administered with antibiotics, One Ton was given a good prognosis. In fact, observations from Big Life over the following days were that he was already feeling much better.

An unusual, if not alarming development in March was the early arrival of the fire season. A total of 3 fires were responded to by the Aerial Unit, including a large fire on Rukinga, where our friends from Wildlife Works were battling an enormous fire thought to have been started by dry lighting. Struggling to put the fire out with their own teams, having spent the previous day and most of the night and following day fighting it, SWT assisted with ground teams with the helicopter, which was able to complete 9 cycles with our Bambi Bucket. The combined efforts of Wildlife Works, KWS, SWT, and Teita Estate eventually succeeded in putting out the fire, but not before more than 9000 acres were burnt. Another fire near Maktau in Tsavo West also required a massive response from all of the same partners.

Having been seemingly put out the first night that it started, a follow-up aerial patrol the next morning discovered that a section of the fire had reignited. Unfortunately, by the time teams could arrive to fight it, the fire had grown beyond a size that could be effectively fought without additional assistance. By the afternoon, dozens of men as well as water bowsers provided by SWT fought the flames. A fixed wing aircraft, also from SWT returned to provide aerial support and help direct the various teams into the most effective positions and by 18:00 the fire had finally been quenched for good. A total of 3500 acres were burnt on this occasion.

Another small fire was reported in Tsavo East, but fortunately an aerial recce confirmed that it had gone out during the night with only 100 acres burnt. One smouldering tree was sighted, and coordinates were provided to the ground team that initially reported the fire for them to extinguish completely. Whereas in February, a relatively large number of marijuana plots were found and later destroyed in the Chyulu Hills. This month, only 5 small plots were discovered, and mostly appeared to be remnant patches that had been missed during the initial ground clearance operations.

In addition to K9 callouts, a number of pre-planned training exercises were conducted helping to reinforce the team’s training. These exercises included ambushes along well-worn paths in the Park, and although fresh activity was seen, no arrests were made. The team also conducted various simulated tracking activities assisted by helicopter drops.

Although the ambush had been unsuccessful, on one exercise, which was a joint operation between the K9 Unit and one of our teams in Ithumba, tracks were followed, and wire snares were recovered from the bush before they could claim any victims. The experience gained was invaluable and has imparted a renewed sense of enthusiasm and inspiration to the team.

Although we do not normally report on incidences of illegal fishing happening in the Park, since they are rare and normally perpetrated by subsistence fishermen, it is worth noting that on one patrol in the area of Lake Jipe, a huge increase in fishing activity was observed along the shores of the lake. A total of 20 boats and 30 fishermen were counted in shallow waters as well as a good number of fish traps, cast nets and gill nets. KWS were informed and provided with coordinates to react to the situation.

There was a continuation of the usual livestock sightings in Tsavo West, with the majority occurring in Tsavo West, although one new livestock incursion of around 1000 head of cattle was observed penetrating several kilometres into Tsavo East from the Eastern boundary north of Galana River.

In addition to regular operations, the helicopter was also involved in a two-day survey of the Chyulu Hills with two leading East African botanists to evaluate the damage done to the cloud forest in last year’s fire season. This activity was funded by the Chyulu Hills REDD+ Project, in which SWT is a partner. Due to the difficult terrain, the helicopter assisted by dropping the team at several locations so that they could access parts of the cloud forest that were damaged by fire. The exercise was successful, and the botanists were able to identify significant amounts of regrowth occurring in the burnt sections, with coppicing occurring at the base of even large trees, which appeared to have been destroyed completely. Some of the smaller islands of forest that are not connected to the main cloud forest exhibited more serious damage, but even here there was some regeneration occurring. The findings of this survey will help inform fire management decisions made in the future.

Some interesting and exciting observations in March included one sighting of an African Wild Cat, normally only seen at night, 7 lions eating a mostly consumed ostrich, and another set of 6 lion on the Tiva River being watched by a leopard atop an adjacent rocky outcrop.

Photographs copyright © 2021 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust