DSWT Aerial Surveillance Unit Report November 2017

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

NOVEMBER 2017

AERIAL STATISTICS

NOVEMBER 2017

122.40 HOURS FLOWN

16,095 KMS COVERED

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Chyulu Hills NP and bordering ranches

AREAS PATROLLED

NOVEMBER 2017

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY The heavens opened above much of Tsavo in November, raining heavily in all but a few areas. This brought desperately needed relief to the wildlife that has suffered terribly in what has been the worst drought in nearly a decade. With the sudden onset of rains, several elephants were unfortunately already too far-gone, and with the change of weather and diet, they did not survive.

Two female elephants were discovered on aerial patrols, collapsed near waterholes and despite attempts by the DSWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit to revive both of them, they could not be saved. Another 21 carcasses were also discovered, however, most of these appeared to have died in previous months during the drought. The good news is that our ground teams were able to recover the ivory from all of these carcasses and in the process of retrieving the ivory discovered several more carcasses with ivory to collect. There is always a risk that a poacher might happen across a pair of tusks and not only benefit from their sale, but feed the demand for ivory.

It has been a very sad and difficult time watching so helplessly as so many animals died, but it was the elephants that were the hardest hit and suffered the greatest number of losses, especially in the hardest hit areas which included the southern sector of Tsavo East around Aruba, Voi River and the Galana towards Sala.

A collapsed elephant that eventually perished due to the drought

The Aerial and De-snaring teams discovered carcasses quickly, retrieving tusks before poachers could

The teams also worked together to rescue an elephant calf; orphaned during the drought

A positive and negative aspect of the rain has been the filling of remote waterholes. On the positive side, wildlife is able to spread far and wide, reducing competition for food; however, cattle herders are also able to reach places difficult to access by car. Despite this the herders cannot hide from our aircrafts, so the pilots had the ability to locate cattle bomas (enclosures) with a fixed wing aircraft and then follow up on these coordinates in a helicopter, landing next to them and deploying rangers to talk to the herders and evict them.

Welcoming the rains in Tsavo; and below the Tiva River flooding

There were four veterinary cases in November involving the Aerial Unit including the two collapsed female elephants previously mentioned.

In Ithumba, a bull elephant appeared at our stockade with an injured leg, possibly from a gunshot. With the help of the helicopter he was darted and treated. With the severity of the injury, however, he was given a guarded prognosis.

Several attempts to locate him later with the fixed-wing aircraft were unsuccessful due to the thick vegetation, which has developed due to the rain, but all are hopeful that he will reappear and if necessary he will be treated again.

A fixed-wing aircraft located another young elephant in the southern sector of Tsavo East also thought to be suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg; this one was also treated by the Tsavo Vet Unit, but he was given a guarded prognosis and is being monitored.

Veterinary treatment of a collapsed elephant

Treating an injured elephant with a gunshot wound

Despite the discovery of so many carcasses, the teams were encouraged by the comparatively small number of fresh carcasses, which signalled the true end of a terrible drought.

November was, in fact, full of highlights, as this time every year, it really is a joy to witness the landscape transformed by rain – seeing rivers flowing for the first time in many months including the Tiva River which flooded the Yakalicha swamp in the most spectacular way, making everything transmute from dull and grey to lush and verdant.

The Tiva River at Bisadi Falls

Four rhinos spotted together

Our pilots were also treated to numerous sightings of wild dog including an active buffalo hunt and the most incredible case of a young elephant calf with only three legs, which appears to have been born like this. Remarkably, it showed no real disadvantage and was able to keep up with its family without difficulty. Several leopard sightings were also made by the helicopter pilot.

A 3-legged elephant calf in Tsavo

Photographs copyright © 2017 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust