SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Veterinary Report for September 2023

SWT/KWS MARA MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT SEPTEMBER 2023

Introduction

7 Cases in September

4 Poaching Cases

4 Elephant Cases

September Report by Dr. Michael Njoroge The Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit attended to 7 cases in total in September 2023. These included 4 elephant cases, 1 lion case, 1 cheetah case and 1 Masai giraffe case.

The team treated a sub-adult female elephant with a spear wound on the left hind limb; a sub-adult male Masai giraffe with an arrow lodged in the right side of its neck; an adult elephant bull with a spear wound at the lumbar fossa region; an elephant matriarch with a septic arrow wound at the stifle joint region; an adult elephant bull with a swollen forelimb; an adult male lion with territorial fight wounds; and an injured subadult cheetah that unfortunately died before treatment could be administered. The young cheetah was most likely fatally injured by a warthog. All other cases were successfully treated with a good prognosis for recovery.

Acknowledgement The Mara Mobile Veterinary team greatly appreciates Elizabeth Scarlett for funding the Unit through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The team also thanks Kenya Wildlife Service for providing technical support and all the conservation partners who contributed to the success of veterinary interventions through timely reporting of veterinary cases and monitoring of treated animals.

Case Details Date

Species

Area Found

06-Sept 23

Elephant

Oloisukut Conservancy

Spear

Approx. 8-year-old female elephant with a swollen left hindlimb

Successfully treated

12-Sept-23

Giraffe

Oloisukut Conservancy

Arrow

Sub-adult male Masai Giraffe with an arrow lodged in the lateral aspect of the neck

Successfully treated

12-Sept-23

Elephant

Olare Orok Conservancy

Spear

Adult elephant bull with a spear wound at the level of the lumbar fossa

Successfully treated

15-Sep-23

Elephant

Mara North Conservancy

Arrow

Elephant matriarch with a septic puncture wound at the level of the stifle joint

Successfully treated

17-Sep-23

Elephant

Ol Kinyei Conservancy

Natural Causes

Adult elephant bull with a swollen forelimb

Successfully treated

18-Sep-23

Lion

Lemek Conservancy

Natural Causes

Slightly lame adult male lion with wounds sustained during a territorial fight

Successfully treated

Cheetah

Mara Triangle

Natural Causes

Injured sub-adult male cheetah crawling on the ground

Died.

Respiratory distress

27-Sep-23

Reason for Intervention

Outcome

SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations September 2023

Case 1 – 06th September 2023 Elephant

Spear

Oloisukut Conservancy

Mara Elephant Project rangers sighted a sub-adult female elephant with a swollen left hind limb.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The approx. 8-year-old elephant was found alone in open ground. As the team prepared to dart the animal, there was a downpour that lasted about 40 minutes. After the rain, the elephant was skilfully pushed towards a more suitable area for darting. The elephant was successfully darted on the shoulder with 10 mg Etorphine.

The drug took effect 10 minutes later with the elephant going down in left lateral recumbency. The animal was repositioned to access the injury which was a spear wound on the left hind limb at the stifle joint region.

The wound was cleaned with water, debrided with Hydrogen peroxide and disinfected with Iodine. Antibiotic pessaries were inserted into the wound then Tetracycline spray and green clay were applied topically.

Systemically, 15,000 Amoxicillin and 50 mgs Dexamethasone were administered intramuscularly. Anaesthesia was reversed with 100 mgs Naltrexone, two-thirds was given intravenously and a third administered intramuscularly. Recovery was smooth, but it took some time for the elephant to stand since the tusks had dug into the moist ground. However, the elephant was able to stand unassisted after about 10 minutes.

Prognosis The young elephant has a good prognosis.

Case 2 – 12th September 2023 Giraffe

Arrow

Oloisukut Conservancy

Rangers on patrol sighted a sub-adult male Masai giraffe with an arrow lodged in the lateral aspect of its neck. It took about 2 hours for the team to reach the area given the great distance they had to cover.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment After a protracted search, the injured giraffe was found browsing in a bushy area within a tower of 10 giraffes.

The young giraffe was darted from vehicle with 10 mgs Etorphine and 20 mgs Azaperone. It was followed on foot and roped down when the drugs took effect 7 minutes post-darting. The giraffe went down in left lateral recumbency, it was blindfolded, and anaesthesia immediately reversed.

The giraffe was then manually restrained by pinning the head and neck to the ground. The arrow on the right side of the neck was carefully pulled out then the wound was disinfected with Hydrogen peroxide and Iodine.

Tetracycline wound spray was topically applied. 15,000 mg Tetracycline and 40 mgs Dexamethasone were also administered intramuscularly before the animal was released.

Prognosis The young giraffe has a good prognosis.

Case 3 – 12th September 2023 Elephant

Spear

Olare Orok Conservancy

After attending to the sub-adult giraffe highlighted under Case 2, the Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit was informed about an injured adult elephant bull that was reluctant to move.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant bull was found in a bushy and rocky area. It was darted from a helicopter with 17 mg Etorphine and herded into an open area for easy treatment. The bull went down on right lateral recumbency after 10 minutes and repositioned to facilitate access to the wound. The right ear was used to cover the right eye shielding it from sunlight and dust. The animal’s body was also doused with water to help with thermoregulation. The elephant had a spear wound at the level of the lumbar fossa.

The wound was debrided with Hydrogen peroxide, disinfected with Iodide, and 60 ml Oxytetracycline LA infused into the wound to deter infection. Tetracycline spray was then applied as a topical antibiotic.

Systemically, 35,000mgs Tetracycline and 40 mgs Dexamethasone were administered.

Prognosis The elephant bull has a good prognosis.

Case 4 – 15th September 2023 Elephant

Arrow

Mara North Conservancy

While on routine monitoring patrol, MNC rangers reported an injured elephant matriarch.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was found in a thicket sheltering from the sweltering sun. There was noticeable lateral oedema on the left hind limb. A septic wound, most likely caused by an arrow, was also noted at the level of the stifle joint. The matriarch was darted from a vehicle with 19 mgs Etorphine and went down on right lateral recumbency a few minutes later. The left ear was used to cover the left eye shielding it from direct sunlight and dust. The elephant was constantly dowsed with cold water on the ears to cool its body. The swelling was palpated for any injury or foreign body. No foreign body was found, and the swelling was observed to be a pitting oedema. The wound was cleaned with Hydrogen peroxide and Iodine and covered with Tetracycline wound spray. Systemically 20,000 mgs Tetracycline and 40 mgs Dexamethasone were administered.

Anaesthesia was reversed with 40 mgs Naltrexone and 48mgs Diprenorphine injected the ear vein. The elephant was on all fours in 3 minutes.

Prognosis The elephant matriarch has a good prognosis. MNC rangers were instructed to monitoring the animal for possible review after a week particularly if marked improvement is not observed.

Case 5 – 17th September 2023 Elephant

Natural Causes

Ol Kinyei Conservancy

While on patrol, Mara Elephant Project rangers sighted an elephant bull that was reluctant to move. This raised concern that the animal was injured. It was later discovered that the bull had a swollen forelimb.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The massive elephant bull was found sheltering under a tree. It was darted on the thigh muscles from a vehicle with 17 mgs Etorphine. The bull attempted to flee, but it was prevented from reaching a nearby thicket by vehicles. After ten minutes, full immobilization was archived with the elephant in lateral recumbency. The left ear was used to cover the left eye shielding it from direct sunlight and dust, the elephant’s body was also doused with water to cool it down. Upon closer examination, it was observed that the animal’s entire fore limb was swollen. However, no significant wound was observed. Systemically, 20,000 mgs Tetracycline and 40 mgs Dexamethasone were administered. Anaesthesia was reversed with 170 mgs Naltrexone. Recovery was smooth, and the bull was on sternal recumbency 5 minutes post-revival. He woke up immediately and moved towards a nearby thicket.

Prognosis The elephant bull has a good prognosis.

Case 6 – 18th September 2023 Lion

Natural Causes

Lemek Conservancy

The Lemek Conservancy management team reported an adult male lion with an injury on its back.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The slightly lame lion had an infected open wound at the level of the last thoracic vertebrae and a small circular wound on the side. The lion was most likely injured during a territorial fight. The animal was darted from a vehicle with 300 mgs Ketamine and 4 mgs Medetomidine. He was completely sedated 10 minutes later. The lion was blindfolded and moved to the shade. The dart was retrieved, and the dart wound infiltrated with Cloxacillin antibacterial ointment. The eyes were also covered with ointment to prevent drying, dust and injury. The wound was disinfected with Hydrogen peroxide and Iodine then 15,000 mg Amoxicillin was infiltrated into the wound. Systemically, 22,500 mgs Amoxicillin, 15ml Cyanocobalamin and 30 mgs Dexamethasone were administered. For internal and external parasite control, 40 mgs Ivermectin was administered subcutaneously. The lion was revived 1 hour post immobilization with 15 mgs Atipamezole administered intramuscularly. Signs of palpebral reflex and ear twitching were observed after half an hour, he attained sternal recumbency 15 minutes later and eventually walked away 1-hour post-revival.

Prognosis The lion has a good prognosis.

Case 7 – 27th September 2023 Cheetah

Natural Causes

Mara Triangle

Mara Triangle management reported an injured sub-adult male cheetah that was unable to stand and was crawling on the ground. The cheetah was reported to have parted ways with its mother 2 weeks prior.

Unfortunately, the veterinary team found the young cheetah dead with his brother beside him. A postmortem was performed to establish the cause of death.

Post-mortem findings There were wound on the dorsal aspect of the thoracic vertebrae. The carcass was slightly emaciated with a body condition score of 3/5. There were traumatic wounds on the thoracic cavity; haemorrhage around the area of injury; fibrin strands suggestive of acute inflammation around the point of injury; and puncture wounds between the 1st and 2nd transverse process of the thoracic vertebrae. The lungs had collapsed, and petechial haemorrhages were seen on the entire lung parenchyma. Pneumothorax and haemothorax were observed. The stomach was empty, and mucosa congested and there were haemorrhages on the left thoracic flank between the intercostal muscles.

Cause of death Respiratory distress. According to the vet’s assessment, the young cheetah was most likely fatally injured by a warthog.