SWT/KWS Sky Vets Report October 2020 - January 2021

SKY VET REPORT OCTOBER TO JANUARY 2021

SKY VET QUARTERLY OVERVIEW During October to January 2021 the SWT/KWS Sky Vet program was called to handle 12 wildlife cases, 11 of which were supported by the SWT helicopter and fixed wing aircrafts to help with elephant darting operations, a translocation as well as search and monitoring operations as well as one case requiring a chartered helicopter.

10 of these cases involved elephants including, 6 poaching cases and 1 HWC case where a notorious crop raiding bull had to be relocated to avoid further conflict with the community. There was also 1 case where an elephant was treated for injuries presumed to be natural and 2 elephant calf rescues.

Of the elephant poaching cases there were 3 snares, 1 spear and 2 arrow wound injuries.

The other 2 cases involved 1 female rhino that was treated in Lake Nakuru National Park for filarial wounds and 1 case where 6 rhinos were ear notched and fitted with transmitters.

Out of the 12 cases treated there was an 67% success rate and no deaths but 17% of cases were given a guarded prognosis. Without rapid veterinary response, the majority of these cases would have died from their injuries.

The Sky Vet program has deployed KWS vets to the following locations during this reporting period

1. 15th October Elephant

Arrow

Oloisukut Conservancy

This bull was seen with a suppurating wound on his left abdomen by Mara Elephant Team when they responded to a call to drive away a herd of elephants from settlement areas.

Immobilisation, examination, and treatment This elephant with 20 other elephants had crossed Mara River to Oloisukut Conservancy after being driven from the Community area by the helicopter. The herd was nervous and could only be examined from the air.

The affected bull was identified and had purulent discharge from the left side of his abdomen. Given the challenges of terrain and uneasiness of the herd, the elephant was darted from the helicopter with 17mgs Etorphine hydrochloride. It took ten minutes for the drugs to take full effect with this elephant assuming sternal recumbency near a pool. He was immediately pushed to lie on his right side for comfort.

The wound appeared to have been caused by an arrow. Probing of the wound was negative for any foreign body which was confirmed with the metal detector. The wound was debrided with Hydrogen peroxide and all necrotic tissues removed. The wound was rinsed with water and disinfected with Iodine. The elephant was also given Amoxicillin antibiotics and Flunixin meglumine anti-inflammatories.

Prognosis He rose up three minutes after reversal of the anaesthetic to join the rest of the herd. Prognosis is good.

2. 23rd October Elephant

Rescue

Tsavo East

This was the rescue of a little bull from Tsavo East around two years of age that was named Shaka. He arrived emaciated and weak and riddled with worms.

Despite doing everything we could for little Shaka, we couldn’t get ahead of the parasites which plagued this young bull and unfortunately, he passed away on the 28th, surrounded by loving Keepers who reassured him in his last moments and made him comfortable.

3. 26th October 2020 Elephant

Natural Causes

Umani Springs, Chyulu Hills

A report was received by the SWT/KWS Tsavo East Mobile Vet Unit regarding a lone elephant bull by a watering point with marked lameness of the right forelimb. The Vet Team was airlifted to the area to carry out the treatment.

Immobilisation, examination, and treatment The elephant bull was darted from a helicopter with 18mgs of Etorphine. In spite of chemical immobilization, the elephant bull was reluctant to go down and had to be manually assisted to the ground. Rangers and a Landcruiser were incorporated to help pull him down. The bull finally went down after 15 minutes.

Examination of the affected forelimb was done, and lameness noted to be originating from the rupture of ligaments at the carpal joint. To manage pain and bacterial infections, the elephant was given parenteral administration of Flunixin meglumine, Clindamycin and 20,000mg of Excede. Alamycin spray was applied over the skin bruises and Frontline spray was used to manage the heavy infestation of ectoparasites.

Prognosis The anaesthesia was reversed with a combination of 24mg of Diprenorphine and 20mg of Naltrexone. The bull stood up after 5 minutes. The prognosis for recovery is guarded.

4. 30th October 2020 Elephant

Rescue

Lualenyi Ranch, Taita

The report was received from the manager of Lualenyi Ranch regarding an elephant calf that has been spotted for several days alone.

Rescue There were concerned that he would be attacked by hyenas if not rescued.

The Vet team sent a nearby SWT de-snaring team to check out the calf’s condition. The calf was found weak and couldn’t stand up, prompting an emergency rescue operation to be initiated.

Prognosis The calf was rescued and taken to the SWT Voi Stockade and stabilized and placed in a boma to be handraised and eventually returned to the wild.

5. 6th November 2020 Elephant

Speared

Kimana, Amboseli

The Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit received a report of an injured elephant bull sighted in the Kimana area, Amboseli. The team was airlifted to the area to perform the treatment. The elephant was searched for and monitored from the air and when found was darted from a helicopter.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant bull was immobilized with 18mg of Etorphine. The helicopter prevented the bull from moving into thick bush before the drugs took affect which took 10 minutes.

Copious amount of water was poured on the elephant to aid in thermoregulation before commencing examination. Physical examination revealed spear wounds near the head and on the left hind leg. The wounds were cleaned with Hydrogen Peroxide and Iodine, infused with Opticlox ointment and packed with green clay for its healing properties. The elephant was also administered with long acting antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

Reversal and prognosis The anaesthesia was reversed with a combination of Diprenorphine and Naltrexone. Prognosis is good.

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6. 19th November 2020 Elephant

Arrow

Rukinga, Taita Ranches

The SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit was made aware of a lame elephant bull which was seen by Wildlife Works Rangers during their normal patrols. The vet team visited the area to carry out treatment. Due to the thick bush, aerial surveillance was employed to aid in tracing the lame elephant.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment Once found, the elephant was darted from a helicopter with 18mg of Etorphine and he went down after 7 minutes. He was noted to have been treated before for the same arrow wound but had not fully recovered.

The arrow wound on the elbow area of the right forelimb was probed for foreign objects, but none were found. The wound was cleaned with Iodine and Hydrogen peroxide, then infused with Opticlox ointment and Tetracycline pessaries before being packed with green clay for its healing properties. The lame bull was also administered with 5,000mg of Flunixin meglumine and antibiotics both locally and systematically.

Prognosis The anaesthesia was reversed with 36mg of Diprenorphine and 20mg Naltrexone. The bull stood up after 8 minutes but prognosis for recovery is guarded/poor due to suspected elbow joint infection.

7. 12th January 2021 Elephant

Snared

Taita Ranches, Tsavo

Wildlife Scouts at Rukinga Conservancy reported the injured elephant to SWT & AMVU.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was darted from a helicopter with 20mg Etorphine hydrochloride.

The elephant had a cable snare around the head and neck. Dragging of the cable wire through the bush for a long time led to damage of the right ear lobe and fly strike into the wound.

The necrotic areas of the wound were removed with a scalpel blade and scissors.The screw worms were removed by hand with forceps and Hydrogen peroxide. To reduce inflammation and to protect against bacterial infection the elephant was also given 25ml Dexamethasone and 120ml Amoxicillin (Betamox®). The wound was disinfected with Iodine solution and sprayed with Oxytetracycline wound spray.

Prognosis The prognosis for recovery is good.

8. 21st January 2021 Elephant

Snared

Mwaluganje Sanctuary, Shimba Hills

The Elephant Research Team at Amboseli reported the injured elephant to AMVU. Eric -OLkarama helped in keeping the elephant in a good position for darting.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was darted from a helicopter using 20mg Etorphine hydrochloride.

Examination revealed the elephant did not have a snare around the limb but had a malformed foot pad due to an earlier snare wound. Poor posture due to the snare lead to lameness and the poor gait in this case was attributed to be the cause of the foot injury.

The elephant was given 120ml Amoxicillin (Betamox®) and 30ml Dexamethasone through the intramuscular route to cover for bacterial infection and the inflammatory reaction. Additionally, an Iodine solution and Oxytetracycline wound spray were applied directly to the wound.

Prognosis Prognosis is good.

9. 23rd January 2021 Elephant

Snared

Mt Kenya Reserve, Karatina

Mt Kenya forest Rangers reported that there was an elephant with a snare on the right forelimb. The Mt Kenya Veterinary Unit aided by KWS vet Dr Njoroge and KWS rangers, responded promptly but the terrain was challenging as the bush was thick and the forest dense with some areas inaccessible. The teams spent 3 days tracking the elephant from the air and on foot, and after five days, the elephant was finally found.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was darted with 18mg Etorphine hydrochloride. Due to the thick terrain, the veterinarian needed to climb a tree to get proper visual of the animal for darting.

There was a rope snare deeply embedded around the elephant’s left forelimb at the level of the metacarpals.

It had caused a deep, traumatic wound (approx. 4cm deep), causing significant pain to the animal. The wound was first cleaned and flushed with Hydrogen peroxide and irrigated with Iodine for topical antibiotic cover.

After cleaning, Opticlox ointment was applied to the wound and topical oxytetracycline spray applied.

Prognosis Good. The animal had good body condition and the wound only involved musculature and not the skeletal system. The rangers were advised to monitor the elephant for the next week and report on its recovery.

10. 28th January 2020 Elephant

Human-wildlife conflict

Ngiluni, Tsavo East

A report of an elephant regularly involved in conflict with the local human community was made to AMVU. The bull is a well-known crop raider in villages bordering Tsavo East National Park. Attempts to drive the elephant back into the park were not successful since the bull consistently moves back into the farms as the bull had a special inclination for crops in addition to natural vegetation. Due to an elephant-human incident resulting in the death of an old man in Ngiluni village, the communities are not comfortable with the visiting elephants. In order to avert further conflict, there was need to move the bull from the area.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was massive, old and in good body condition. The bull was pushed by a helicopter from the village into the Tsavo East National Park to facilitate immobilization. The bull was translocated in an open bed truck while immobilized. However, the bull experienced bloating on the way to the site and had to be revived to avoid complications. The bull was huge and advanced in age therefore prone to anaesthesia complications.

Conclusion Future translocation of such old bulls in the area shall require movement of a revived elephant to avert complications. Movement to areas much further away should always be considered for such bulls.

11. 28th January 2021 Black Rhino

Technical Case

Sobo, Tsavo East National Park

The exercise was planned to begin at first light to take advantage of cool temperatures. 3 fixed wing aircrafts and 1 helicopter assisted the exercise.

Immobilisation and ear-notching After the target was positively identified, it was first driven to open ground and darted from a helicopter. The adults were darted with 80mgs Azaperone and 4.5 Etorphine and the sub-adults with 3.0-3.5mgs Etorphine and 60 mgs Azaperone. Induction time ranged from 3.5 to 9 minutes.

After being immobilized, a butterfly catheter was fixed onto one of the ear veins to monitor the oxygenation levels and administer respiration enhancing drugs such as Doxopram and Butorphanol tartrate. Vital parameters including respiration rate, pulse, heart rate, temperature, carbon dioxide levels and arterial blood pressure were monitored. Immobilised animals were doused with water to keep them cool and a blindfold and ear plugs were used to prevent damage to the cornea and to minimize visual and noise stimulation.

The ears were notched with a predetermined pattern. Forceps were used to control bleeding and an antibiotic spray applied on the wounds. Six transponders (microchips) were fitted; one in each horn, two in the neck and two at the base of the tail. Blood, tissue and horn samples were collected before the anaesthetic was reversed. The team observed each rhino until it was fully awake before moving on to the next.

12. 31st January 2021 Black Rhino

Natural Causes

Lake Nakuru National Park

A report was made to the KWS Veterinary Department of a limping adult female black rhino in Lake Nakuru National Park. The Mt. Kenya Veterinary unit was informed to attend to the rhino as soon as possible.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The animal was darted from a helicopter with 3.5mg of Etorphine and 60mg of Azaperone. The animal was given 20mgs of Butorphanol to improve respiration and was put on supplemental oxygen throughout the examination and treatment period.

Examination showed that the rhino had filarial wounds ventrally under her chin extending to the neck and on her right side. These were cleaned with Hydrogen peroxide and Iodine then treated with antibiotic cream and sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray. Her right hind limb had decubital sores around the patella, but as there was no palpable fractures or visible wounds on the leg it was suspected to be due to her age, possibly arthritis. The rhino was given Amoxiicillin (15000mg), Phenylbutazone (40mls) and Multivitamin (20mls) Prognosis Prognosis was good after treatment with long-acting antibiotics and strong ant inflammatory drugs that will help minimise spread of joint inflammation.