DSWT Aerial Surveillance Unit Report September 2016

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

SEPTEMBER 2016

AERIAL STATISTICS

HOURS FLOWN

KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

SEPTEMBER 2016

130.4

17,336

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Chyulu Hills, Rukinga Ranch, Taita Ranch, Amboseli

SEPTEMBER 2016

MONTHLY AERIAL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY The major challenge during September was livestock. Due to a failed short rains in April-May, the Tsavo Conservation Area has become exceedingly dry and as a result, neighbouring pastoralists are probing much further into the Park than recent years. In some cases, cattle have been sighted as much as 60 kilometres into Tsavo East. The aircraft have been able to monitor and report the position of livestock and especially of their enclosures to the Kenya Wildlife Service so that they can coordinate their efforts. Although the pressure is mounting, KWS has made positive progress in a few key areas, and livestock is being slowly pushed back out of the Park. In one area in particular over 20 arrests have been made, and thousands of cattle and dozens of herders have packed up and are moving back towards the Park boundary.

In other areas, the pressure has been overwhelming. Fortunately, the rains are due at the end of October, and it is expected that once there is water and grazing available outside the Park most of the cattle will move out. Hopefully, the rains break sooner rather than later because the threat to livestock to wildlife cannot be underestimated.

Overgrazing in some parts of the Park is leading to large-scale erosion, which has a severe impact on grass’s ability to regenerate. This, coupled with direct competition for grazing, has the potential to cause the deaths of hundreds of animals as the drought continues. Already, in the southern part of Tsavo East, over a dozen elephants have died of malnutrition in the last two months. This is mainly due to the fact that water is scarce in Tsavo and elephants are concentrated depleted resources, but it highlights how fragile the ecosystem is and how damaging the effects of livestock has the potential to be.

Flying over cattle illegally grazing in the Parks

Erosion gullies created by thousands of cattle putting too much pressure on the Parks

Another focus during the month of September has been charcoal, especially in the Gazi area within the Tsavo Conservation Area. In August, the helicopter was used heavily in operations here locating and responding to as many as 20 charcoal kilns regularly.

This month, however, in what is usually one of the worst months of the year for charcoal burning, this has been reduced to between 2-5 kilns per patrol. On a few patrols, no active charcoal burning activity was sighted at all. In October, there will be a DSWT ground team based permanently in the area with the goal of putting an end to this industry completely within the protected areas.

A charcoal kiln illegally constructed in the Park

Sacks of charcoal from the Park ready for collection and sale

As was already mentioned, the current drought has been causing the deaths of elephants, particularly in the Southern part of Tsavo East near Voi. Unfortunately, some of these have been female elephants with calves and the Aerial Unit was called to search for orphans on 4 occasions.

Sadly, one of these searches turned up the carcass of a young 2-3-year-old elephant that had died of an unknown cause and the other three searches were unsuccessful. Tsavo is a cruel environment, and a young elephant without the protection of its herd will not survive long. Despite numerous hours flown our efforts in these cases sadly were not successful.

A carcass of a juvenile elephant found by the Aerial Unit

One calf was given a second chance in Amboseli with help from the Aerial Unit, whilst a young 4-year-old elephant was treated having been sighted by Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) on the 17th of September with a deep spear wound. Its family was leading it into a swampy area and since the Amboseli vet was not available, a DSWT fixed wing aircraft was requested to rush Dr. Poghon, the KWS Veterinary officer who heads the DSWT funded Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, to the scene from Voi for the treatment. Using 3 vehicles, driven by KWS, ATE, and Big Life Foundation, the calf was separated from the herd and swiftly treated with thankfully an excellent prognosis for recovery.

Young calf being treated in Amboseli

Several patrols in September were conducted in assistance of our partners at Galana Conservancy on the Eastern side the Park, and resulted in the successful eviction of hundreds of cattle and several illegal settlements there. These flights have also yielded a relationship with a member of the General Service Unit, a paramilitary wing of Kenya’s police force, who is interested in tackling issues of illegal grazing and charcoal burning on ranches outside the confines of the Park, where KWS’s mandate does not cover.

The DSWT’s helicopter concentrated on patrolling with and training the dog unit, flying with a handler, dog and ranger on each flight and deploying them at various water points to check for poachers’ tracks and harbours, etc.

Several tracks were found but nothing fresh enough for the dog to follow. On one patrol an old elephant carcass was found with ivory intact, which was collected by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Highlights in September included a sighting of a pride of lions basking on a sandy beach on the Athi River, a melanistic serval cat, a honey badger near Lugard’s Falls, several sightings of free-range black rhinos in Tsavo East, and a pack of over 40 wild dogs in Tsavo West.

Photographs copyright © 2016 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust