SWT Aerial Surveillance Report: May 2020

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

MAY 2020

AERIAL STATISTICS

HOURS FLOWN

KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

MAY 2020

154.6

18,981

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Chyulus, Galana Ranch, Kulalu Ranch, Selengei

MAY 2020

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY After many months of rain and relative calm on the illegal activity front, the month of May brought about a surge in sightings Fortunately, some good results came from these cases as two sightings led to arrests. In one case, during a fixed wing patrol, one of our pilots noticed a cooking pot and water container under a tree and when circling back to get a better look, noticed that they had been concealed. Having not sighted the suspect, but knowing that someone must be down there, the helicopter was immediately alerted and arrived with the K9 team on board. At this point, the suspect broke cover and began to run. After dropping off the K9 team, the helicopter and fixed wing provided aerial cover and successfully led the team on the ground to the suspect’s position for a successful arrest.

On another helicopter patrol, after following some relatively old human foot prints that were visible from the air, the team spotted an active camp and sent in a team on the ground that made a successful arrest of 2 bushmeat poachers in possession of large amounts of bushmeat and other paraphernalia.

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Apart from poaching, there was also a rise in wood harvesting activities, including wood carving, charcoal burning and logging. This was mostly observed on ranches adjacent to the Parks; however, a worrying increase in charcoal burning and wood carving was noticed in the Chyulu Hills National Park. Sightings of charcoal kilns, camps, and breaches within the SWT funded electric fence resulted in follow-ups from ground teams and a number of arrests of both charcoal burners and wood carvers.Surprisingly, with the increase in poaching activity, there was no corresponding increase in related vet cases, as is normally the case. In fact, most of the vet jobs involved animals that appeared to have been injured by natural causes.

The most severe injury of these was a female elephant who had somehow managed to get a large stick lodged in her front left foot, possibly from a trap, but it was difficult to confirm the cause. Unfortunately, the sepsis from the injury had spread into a joint, and despite being treated by the Voi KWS/SWT Mobile Vet Unit, with assistance from the SWT helicopter, the elephant was given a guarded prognosis. Follow-up observations were made from the air and ground, and despite being forced to walk on three legs, she covered a fair distance with her small family and even climbed up and over the Yatta Plateau. We have not seen her again more recently, but we are hopeful that the antibiotics she was administered will clear the infection and give her a chance at survival.

Sadly, during a follow up flight, the large bull elephant that had been treated in April, , was found dead. His tusks weighed an incredible 55.7 kg (122.8 lb) and 54.2 kg (119.5 lb).

In May, another elephant was found in the north eastern sector of the Park with injuries from a fight with another bull. He was darted with help from the helicopter, treated and given an excellent prognosis for recovery.

Although the Aerial Unit seldom assists in treatments of lions, a lion was sighted in thick bush by one of our ground teams with an injury on its foot. Upon arriving at the scene, the only way the vet was able to get a decent look at the lion was by helicopter. Fortunately, from the air, the vet was able to confirm that the injury was not severe and did not require treatment.

Additionally, the helicopter was used to dart a problem lion near Mtito Andei town on the Mombasa highway. The lion was relocated to a remote corner of the Park where it will not pose a threat to communities.

The helicopter was also deployed to rescue an abandoned elephant calf that had been sighted by Big Life Foundation rangers on the western side of the Chyulu Hills. The calf was airlifted to SWT and is so far thriving.

One elephant carcass was also sighted by helicopter, assumed to have died of natural causes as the tusks were still intact. The ivory was retrieved by the helicopter and handed over to KWS for storage. A fairly unusual sighting was a donkey carcass about 200 metres inside Tsavo East. Fearing that the donkey may have been poisoned, ground teams were sent in to move the carcass back outside of the Park where it was buried.

Only three HWC callouts occurred in May. Of these, two were successful – with 4 bulls pushed back into Kibwezi Forest, and 5 elephants pushed out of community land towards Selengei Conservancy. However, one bull near Kibwezi, refused to be pushed by the helicopter and so a ground team was left to monitor his movements that night.

Cattle incursions remain to be an issue in both Tsavo East and Tsavo West, but particularly in Tsavo West. Cattle sighted by the Aerial Unit in Tsavo East were largely repelled by KWS rangers on the ground, but there was a noticeable influx of cattle seen along the western boundary of Tsavo West. On a positive note, Chyulu Hills NP maintained its cattlefree status throughout the month.

On the 29th a bush fire raged in the southern sector of the park on Irima plains and SWT teams scrambled to help fight the fire with the Trust’s two water bowsers proving vital in the fight. Thankfully, the fire was brought under control and an aerial patrol on the morning of the 30th led ground teams to the still soldering logs so they could be extinguished before the winds picked up sparking more fires.

Despite the worrying increase in illegal activities, our pilots were treated to some wonderful scenes as well. A herd of 600 elephants was seen in the Ndara Plains and multiple sightings of lion, wild dog and cheetah were made as well as 3 aardwolf and a striped hyena - it’s always a treat to catch a sighting of the rarer animals in Tsavo.

Photographs copyright © 2020 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust