SWT Aerial Surveillance Unit Report October 2019

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

OCTOBER 2019

AERIAL STATISTICS

HOURS FLOWN

KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

OCTOBER 2019

115

15,354

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Rukinga Ranch, Chyulu Hills, Kishushe Ranch, KARI Ranch – Kiboko, Rombo Ranch.

OCTOBER 2019

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY Poaching activity continued for the first half of the month, however activities dropped off once the rains commenced.

It seemed this month giraffes in particular were being targeted. At the onset of a routine helicopter patrol early in October, one of the de-snaring teams asked if they could try and follow drag marks left by a giraffe that they had seen on their patrol. The helicopter then successfully located the giraffe which was dragging a large branch and other debris from a wire snare wrapped tight around its neck. Fortunately, the wire had not yet cut deep into the giraffe’s neck, yet due to the time the giraffe was spotted, it was too late to transport Dr. Poghon to this remote location, so the intervention was deferred until the following day.

The giraffe’s location was marked and the following morning the SWT helicopter returned very early to track the patient while an SWT fixed wing aircraft flew to Voi to collect the Vet. The giraffe was successfully located and darted from the helicopter, and with the help of an SWT ground team and fixed wing pilot, was held down while Dr. Poghon removed the snare. After a short duration, the grateful giraffe was back onto his feet and heading towards the Tiva River free from the incumbency of dragging a log for many miles. After the operation, the helicopter returned to the skies and followed the giraffe’s tracks backwards to the very tree where it had originally picked up the snare trap.

Nearby, a camp was spotted with the carcasses of two other giraffes and strips of meat hanging to dry. A ground team laid an ambush at the camp, but unfortunately the poachers never returned obviously having heard the helicopter the previous day.

Further north, another poachers camp was disrupted during a helicopter patrol and a motorbike was confiscated along with a mobile phone and other poaching paraphernalia. On a different day, 2 poachers were spotted entering the Park on bicycles. When they realised that they had been compromised they immediately fled; sadly, as there was nowhere suitable to land nearby, both men escaped leaving the Park boundaries; however, one of them left a bicycle behind which was confiscated along with his gear and 15 wire snares. Another recent poachers’ camp was discovered in the North during a fixed wing patrol and although it hadn’t been used for over a month, there were several water containers and a mosquito net that had been left behind presumably for another poaching trip, so an SWT ground team visited the site to destroy everything.

In addition to the giraffe in the North, another giraffe with a snare was spotted by SWT fixed wing aircraft near the Chyulu Gate in Tsavo West. The snare was successfully removed by the Amboseli Vet who also attended to a third giraffe found in the same area by ground teams.

Towards the end of the month, a report came in of a possible armed gang operating on Galana Ranch to the east of the outside of the Park. The helicopter was deployed to the area, but due to bad weather, the helicopter was limited in the area that could be covered, although a large charcoaling operation was observed during the flight and reported back to KWS for follow-up. Inside the Park, charcoal burning has been significantly curbed, in fact the only other charcoal activity that was observed during aerial patrols in October were in neighbouring ranches.

Livestock sightings in Tsavo East were also minimal, with only one major incursion discovered on a KWS requested patrol near Emusaya. Several bomas were found and dealt with and subsequent patrols confirmed that the herders had left the Park. In Tsavo West, large numbers of livestock were present on two fixed wing patrols, however, the number of active bomas had reduced by nearly 50% between these two patrols as a result of KWS ground operations.

In the Chyulu Hills National Park, livestock was found along the top of the hills, but bomas were cleared out with the help of the SWT helicopter.

.

The helicopter was also used in the rescue of two orphaned elephants. Big Life Rangers had found the first calf abandoned on Rombo Ranch, and the second was sighted by a Tsavo Trust aeroplane, standing next to its dead mother in a lava field at the foot of the Chyulu Hills in Tsavo West NP. It is unclear what happened to the mother of the young calf found on Rombo Ranch, but the calf was rescued in very poor condition and unfortunately passed away shortly after.

The second calf’s mother had died the previous night of unknown causes and was therefore in much better condition.

However, due to its location on a small hill surrounded by sharp lava rock, it was impossible to get a vehicle to its position, so it had to be walked out along very rough terrain to the edge of the lava field where the helicopter could airlift it to the Nursery in Nairobi.

In addition to the two snared giraffes, the Aerial Unit also assisted in the search for a wounded elephant that had been seen by tourists. The aircraft needed to locate the elephant two days in a row since the first sighting came too late in the day for the vet to respond. The second day of the operation was a success and the vet was able dart and treat the elephant for a suspected arrow wound. On another day one of the Trust’s fixed wing planes flew the SWT/KWS vet from Voi to Selengei to treat a lion with a spear wound, which had been reported by Big Life. Very sadly the lion had to be euthanised due to the severity of the wound. On the same day the SWT pilot then flew the vet to Ol Donyo Wuas to treat an elephant with an infected cancerous growth on his genitals. This elephant has been treated several times before as it keeps developing abscesses.

As a major contributor to the previous Wildlife Censuses in the Tsavo Conservation Area, the SWT also participated in the initial planning meetings for the upcoming 2020 Aerial Census, which will take place in February 2020. The Trust is able to offer expertise, pilots, aircraft and aviation fuel to what will surely be another successful event, resulting in the collection of invaluable data.

Highlights during the month included repeated sightings of some of our favourite carnivores including wild dog, leopard, lion and cheetah.

Photographs copyright © 2019 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust