DSWT Aerial Surveillance Unit Report September 2017

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT

SEPTEMBER 2017

AERIAL STATISTICS

SEPTEMBER 2017

138.53 HOURS FLOWN

17,490 KMS COVERED

AREAS PATROLLED

Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Taita Ranches, Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, Shimba Hills, Chyulu Hills NP

An gaunt elephant in Tsavo ravaged by the drought

SEPTEMBER 2017

MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP

MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY As the drought, which has been gripping the southern sector of Tsavo East, continued throughout September, even greater numbers of elephant carcasses were discovered during the month. The victims in previous months, which were largely older weak females were more frequently juveniles this month. Juvenile elephant carcasses were discovered as well as collapsed babies, which were promptly rescued, but unfortunately some later succumbed to their starved state, whilst a number of them were able to be rescued just in time.

Despite the negative aspect of discovering so many dead and dying elephants, the role of the aircrafts cannot be underestimated. For each carcass discovered, a set of tusks can be retrieved before a poacher has a chance to happen upon them. Also, the teams have been able to quickly identify problem areas and focus their attention on increased patrols, with the vet teams ready to assist weak elephants and also with the ground teams who have been able to keep an eye out for potential orphans so that they can be rescued in time. Two lone calves were discovered by the anti-poaching teams on the ground, and were rescued by the DSWT helicopter and airlifted to Nairobi to be cared for.

Without this kind of quick response, young calves like this would have very little chance of survival. Given that the problem is lack of food rather than water shortages there is no solution to the problem, with it being simply impossible to feed a population of elephants the size of Tsavo in a year where drought grips much of the country.

A young elephant found dead having collapsed from the effects of the drought

Drought victims found from the air with tusks intact, which were later removed

A 9-month-old baby rescued from Tsavo East due to the drought and taken to the Nairobi Nursery for care

Another baby elephant drought victim rescued by the DSWT

A baby elephant flown from Tsavo to Nairobi in the DSWT helicopter for special care

Although many wildlife species are suffering in areas ravaged by drought this season, there are habitats which have been spared. The northern area of Tsavo East National Park is one of these lucky areas, which has not been so severely hit by the drought. Elephants inhabiting this environment are thankfully in good condition as reported by the DSWT pilots, anti-poaching teams and the Keepers at the Ithumba stockades, who are regularly visited by healthy wild elephant herds who frequent the stockades and mudbath.

Healthy wild elephant herds in northern Tsavo East

Thankfully poaching activity was relatively low in September but three poachers’ camps were found by the helicopter and destroyed as well as 2 old shooting blinds. On another occasion, the helicopter made strategic landings allowing rangers to discover and remove several wire snares intended for small to medium sized game. The helicopter has also been active in routine patrols with the tracker dogs and their handlers, always accompanied by armed rangers; it is this on-going surveillance that keeps the area free from poaching activity.

The helicopter also assisted in a two-day hydrological assessment to determine if remote boreholes can be dug in other parts of Tsavo East where their remains good browse and food to offer elephants alternatives to the limited supply of water points during future dry seasons.

Patrolling from the skies to the ground destroying poaching camps and shooting blinds

Elsewhere, the DSWT’s fixed-wing aircrafts continued to monitor the livestock situation, which has shown some improvement. In the southern sector of Tsavo East, large-scale livestock invasions have been almost eliminated with only a limited number of small herds still sighted being herded into the Park to graze; however, this is occurring mostly at night. The aircraft were able to identify several paths being used to enter the Park so that rangers can lay ambush in these locations and prevent further incursions.

In the northern sector, cattle has been pushed back 10s of kilometres from where they had reached, with KWS acting on sightings from aerial recces, continuing to destroy bomas and manyattas of herders living illegally in the Park. This is a big job and will take time, especially in the height of the dry season when livestock incursions are generally at their peak.

Livestock leaving the park after being discovered by DSWT aircraft

In the Chyulu Hills, a decrease in charcoal burning was observed, however, an increase in livestock activity was noted, especially within the southern end. This was coupled with annual bushfires, which are set by herders trying to expand and improve existing grazing in the park.

These fires can be devastating, killing thousands of insects, birds and mammals that are unable to escape the flames, as well as destroying hundreds of acres of cloud forest, as well as cedar and African Olive forest every year. In the near future, we hope to purchase and fit our helicopter with a Bambi bucket to enable us to more effectively fight these fires.

Chyulu fires aftermath

Highlights during September included several rare sightings of giraffes drinking at watering holes and some great big cat sightings. There were also many encouraging signs of rain to come such as an unusually high concentration of nesting ostriches, flowering acacia trees as well as multiple sightings of flowering “Fireball lilies� which are said to emerge precisely 10 days before it rains.

We did, in fact, experience our first rain showers roughly a week after the first fireball lily was observed. It was not a huge amount, but enough to fill a few waterholes along the south-eastern boundary of the Park and draw several hundred elephants away from the Dika, Ndara, and Voi River, where elephants have been competing for the remaining browse. We can only hope that bigger, more sustained rains are on the way in the near future.

A fireball lily; a sign of the rains

Photographs copyright © 2017 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust