DSWT/KWS Anti-Poaching Report May 2016

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

ANTI-POACHING UNITS MONTHLY REPORT

MAY 2016

MAY 2016

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

MAY 2016 MONTHLY SUMMARY: ALL UNITS TOTAL SNARES RECOVERED & COLLECTED: TOTAL ARRESTS MADE: TOTAL WEAPON/EQUIPMENT CONFISCATIONS: TOTAL ILLEGAL STRUCTURES DESTROYED:

741 20 48 22

This month the DSWT was excited to launch a new Anti-Poaching Unit. The ‘Yatta’ Unit is the ninth unit to be funded and managed by the Trust and follows a similar model to the other units with an 8man ranger team equipped with a 4x4 vehicle and a full mobile camping unit with camera, binoculars, GPS and radios. All team members are KWS Manyani graduated, whilst there is also a dedicated driver and team cook. Such like the other teams, two armed KWS rangers accompany the units on all patrols.

A huge number of snares were collected and confiscated from poachers in the TCA during May. Out of 741 snares recorded in total, 127 were found by the Ithumba team who also confiscated 190 snares from poachers they captured who were yet to set them in the bush.

There were a number of successes in apprehending poachers during the month including 8 bush-meat poachers and 2 ivory poachers. All poachers were caught in the act with snares, poisoned arrows and the tools they use to trap, kill and skin wild animals in the Parks. Other arrests included logging and charcoal offenders as well as livestock herders illegally grazing their cattle in the Parks.

The Mtito Unit was on annual leave during May and was covered by the new Yatta Unit. The Burra and Chyulu team also took leave days working part of the month.

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MAP OF ALL UNIT’S PATROL ROUTES

MAP OF ALL UNIT’S ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

DAILY SITUATION REPORT MONTHLY SUMMARY – MAY 2016

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TOTAL SNARES COLLECTED – MAY 2016 - All Teams

TOTAL ARRESTS MADE – MAY 2016 - All Teams

MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

INDIVIDUAL TEAM REPORTS MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 ZIWANI TEAM PATROL AREA: Central sector of Tsavo West NP south of the Tsavo River DAYS ON DUTY: 28

SECURITY & INCIDENTS CHARCOAL BURNING 9/5/16

Destroying a charcoal kiln recently constructed within the Park boundaries

CHARCOAL BURNING 10/5/16

More active charcoal kilns are found within the Park by the team and destroyed. Lots of logging was also discovered

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

BUSH MEAT POACHER 13/5/16

A bushmeat poacher was caught setting snares and trapping wild animals

SNARED DIK DIK 21/5/16

A dikdik was found alive trapped in a snare. The team were able to release it from the wire snare and let it go. It thankfully was yet to sustain injury

LIFTING SNARES 24/5/16

Team members lifting snares set on wildlife tracks and paths. Mostly only small to medium wire snares were found

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MAY 2016

TRACKING POACHERS 24/5/16

The KWS tracker dogs were used during an operation to track potential poachers operating in the area.

ILLEGAL MINING 30/5/16

The team found evidence of recent mining activities in the Park

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MAY 2016

ZIWANI UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 TIVA TEAM PATROL AREA: Northern sector of Tsavo East NP with a focus along the Tiva River DAYS ON DUTY: 29

SECURITY & INCIDENTS ELEPHANT CARCASS 4/5/16

The Tiva team found an old carcass along the Tiva river area. A small piece of ivory was found in the area

LIFTING SNARES 7/5/16

Team member lifting up snares in the Kimweli area

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MAY 2016

LOGGER ARRESTED 7/5/16

A suspected poacher and logger was arrested in the Umbi area during a night ambush with logs

HONEY HARVESTING 13/5/16

Honey harvesting and snaring activities were found in the Kyaerock area

ELEPHANT TREATMENT 20/5/16

Joining hands in cutting off a winch snare from a wounded elephant before treatment at the Imenti dam area

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

ILLEGAL LOGGING 21/5/16

Illegal logging activities in the Tundani area

SHOOTING PLATFORM 25/5/16

Team member destroying a shooting platform in the Imenti area. There were also a number of snares and a poachers hide in the area

POACHER ARRESTED 26/5/16

A notorious poacher was arrested along the Kimweli fence line on a joint ambush. He was caught with dikdik meat and poaching equipment

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SHOOTING BLIND 28/5/16

MAY 2016

Destroying an active poacher's shooting blind around the Ithumba airstrip

TIVA UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016 CHYULU TEAM PATROL AREA: Chyulu National Park, Kibwezi Forest and surrounding communities D DAYS ON DUTY: 12

SECURITY & INCIDENTS ELEPHANT CONFLICT 21/5/16

The team received a report from about an elephant in community land.

The team pushed the elephant back into the Park

CHARCOAL BURNING 24/5/16

Illegal charcoal burning was found in the Park as well as logging activities.

The kiln was destroyed by the team and a man was arrested

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MAY 2016

LIVESTOCK INCURSION 26/5/16

The team found illegal livestock in the park area and pushed it out, back into community land

CHARCOAL BURNING 27/5/16

Logging and a charcoal bag was found during a patrol in the Kathekakai area

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MAY 2016

CHYULU UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016 KENZE TEAM PATROL AREA: Kibwezi Forest and surrounding communities DAYS ON DUTY: 31

SECURITY & INCIDENTS ILLEGAL LOGGING 5/5/16

The Kenze team arrested a logger in the Duwa area who had been cutting trees in the forest

ILLEGAL LOGGING 7/5/16

Logging for charcoal was discovered in the Kari area

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

WILDLIFE CONFLICT 8/5/16

Buffalos were found in community areas causing problems. The team worked with the KWS to push the elephants back into the Park

US EMBASSY VISIT 11/5/16

US-Embassy officials visit Umani and are given a tour by the Kenze team and Kibwezi Forest management

LOGGER ARRESTED 15/5/16

A logger was arrested transporting freshly cut wood out of the Forest

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

LIFTING SNARES 16/5/16

The team found a number of small and medium wire snares in the Kari area

ELEPHANT CONFLICT 21/5/16

Wild elephants get caught in community lands outside of the Kibwezi Forest and are driven by the team back into the Park

SNARING & TRAPPING 23/5/16

A birdtrap and a number of snares were found and removed by the team

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MAY 2016

LOGGING ACTIVITIES 25/5/16

Further logging was found in the Duwa area along with a charcoal kiln and snares

LOGGER ARRESTED 27/5/16

During night operations a logger was arrested cutting and transporting hard wood out of the Park

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

KENZE UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 BURRA TEAM PATROL AREA: Southern sector of Tsavo East NP & the Taita Ranches DAYS ON DUTY:12

SECURITY & INCIDENTS LOGGER ARRESTED 22/5/16

A logger was arrested cutting hard wood on Mbulia Ranch

LIFTING SNARES 23/5/16

A number of small to medium snares were found in the Irima Plains area.

The snares are confiscated by the teams

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

ELEPHANT CONFLICT 25/5/16

The team jointly working with the KWS driving a large number of elephants back into the Park and out of communities in Murondo

POACHED ELEPHANT 30/5/16

Retrieving ivory from a poached elephant in the Satao area

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

BURRA UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 MERU TEAM (Meru National Park) PATROL AREA: This is a mobile team operating in the Meru Conservation Area and National Park DAYS ON DUTY: 17

SECURITY & INCIDENTS POACHER ARRESTED 16/5/16

The Meru team caught a bush-meat poacher red handed cutting up a giraffe carcass he had snared. Other large snares were found in the area

LIFTING SNARES 17/5/16

The team found medium snares within the Ura area upstream as well as a snared bushbuck carcass

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

SHOOTING BLIND 20/5/16

A shooting blind was found and destroyed at the Mike 9 area

LIFTING SNARES 21/5/16

The team lifted small snares at Elsa's grave area

SNARES & TRAPS 27/5/16

Medium snares and naïve traps were discovered in the Kibangua area and removed

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POACHERS ARRESTED 30/5/16

MAY 2016

Two ivory and bush meat poachers were arrested at Ura downstream while poaching

MERU UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 ITHUMBA TEAM PATROL AREA: Northern sector of Tsavo East NP, northern boundary & Gazi DAYS ON DUTY:31

SECURITY & INCIDENTS ILLEGAL LOGGING 5/5/16

Illegal logging in the Chamanyeze area was found by the team

ILLEGAL LOGGING 8/5/16

The team confiscated cut hardwood and a logger’s bike in the Umbi area.

The offender fled the scene

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

SNARES & CHARCOAL 12/5/16

The team collected a number of small wire snares from the Yatta area as well as rescuing a snared dikdik and destroying an active charcoal kiln

SHOOTING BLIND 15/5/16

A fresh illegal shooting blind was found and destroyed in the Umauma area

ELEPHANT TREATMENT 20/5/16

The team worked with Sky Vets to treat a snared elephant in the Imenti Area

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

BUSHMEAT POACHER 22/5/16

A bush-meat poacher with snares was arrested in the Tiva area

BUSHMEAT POACHER 26/5/16

A bushmeat poacher was arrested with bushmeat at the Kimweli area

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

ITHUMBA UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

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MAY 2016

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MAY 2016

MAY 2016 YATTA TEAM PATROL AREA: Yatta Plateaux & northern sector of Tsavo East NP DAYS ON DUTY:21

SECURITY & INCIDENTS LIFTING SNARES 11/5/16

This new team commenced patrols in May. As a mobile team in the TCA they worked in the Mtito area as the Mtito team were on leave.

POACHERS ARRESTED 15/5/16

Two bush meat poachers were arrested and made to remove all the snares they had set

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

LIFTING SNARES 17/5/16

De-snaring in the Makutano area where a number of medium sized wire snares were found

ELEPHANT CARCASS 20/5/16

Elephant carcass was found in the Kyulu-Tsavo river area. It had been poached with tusks removed then covered up

POACHERS ARRESTED 27/5/16

Arrested bush meat poachers, who were snaring and lamping inside the Tsavo Triangle

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016

YATTA UNIT MONTHLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AND PATROL ROUTES

DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

MAY 2016