SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Veterinary Unit - January 2019

SWT/KWS MT KENYA MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT JANUARY 2019

Introduction

14 Cases in January

4 Poaching Cases

50% Success

January Report by Domnic Mijele The Mt Kenya Veterinary Unit treated 14 cases this month which included an injured female white rhino at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a wounded elephant at Ngorare Wildlife Conservancy, de-snaring of a giraffe at Ole Nashuu Conservancy, de-snaring of an adult male giraffe at Enasoit Wildlife Conservancy, de-snaring of a female waterbuck at Naro Moru gate Mt. Kenya National Park.

Translocation of 3 grevy zebras involved in human-wildlife conflict from Naibor Ranch to Sera Wildlife Conservancy. The Unit also conducted a post-mortem examination of an elephant shot during humanwildlife conflict at Lewa, and post-mortem examinations of a white and black rhino at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy among other cases as highlighted in the report below.

Acknowledgement We acknowledge and appreciate the support from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) team in Laikipia and at the veterinary department team in the Mountain Conservation area, community scouts and other partners for supporting the Mt. Kenya Veterinary Unit to respond and save the lives of many animals that required urgent veterinary attention.

Case Details Date

Species

Area Found

06-Jan-19

Elephant

07-Jan-19

Rhino White

14-Jan-19

Antelope

14-Jan-19

Antelope

15-Jan-19

Waterbuck

19-Jan-19

Giraffe

20-Jan-19

Elephant

22-Jan-19

Elephant

Enasoit, Laikipia

22-Jan-19

Giraffe

Laikipia Ranches

26-Jan-19

Zebra

Naibor, Lakipia

27-Jan-19

Rhino White

29-Jan-19

Rhino Black

30-Jan-19

Rhino White

31-Jan-19

Security Horse

Reason for Intervention

Ngorare, Laikipia Lewa Conservancy

Natural Causes

Mt Kenya Game Ranch

Technical Cases

Mt Kenya Game Ranch Mt Kenya National Park Ole Nashuu, Laikipia Lewa Conservancy

Natural Causes

Lewa Conservancy Lewa Conservancy Meru National Park Abedare National Park

Spear

Snared Snared Bullet Wound Human Wildlife Conflict Technical Cases Human Wildlife Conflict Natural Causes Natural Causes Natural Causes Technical Cases

It had one deep penetrating wound suspected to be a spear wound It was suspected to have a dislocation or a closed fracture at the left tarsal joint.

Immobilization, capture, samples collection and relocation of a bongo that had escaped from its enclosure A juvenile mountain bongo had a large abscess on the right side of the thigh An adult female waterbuck was reported to have along rope snare on the right front leg Reticulated giraffe had a loose hanging wire snare around the right hind leg Elephant carcass had two bullet wounds through the left shoulder that went through the lungs and heart

Outcome Prognosis Poor Prognosis Poor Task Successful Successfully Treated Successfully Treated Successfully Treated Poaching Death

Elephant had a deep penetrating wound the right hind leg suspected to be a bullet wound

Successfully Treated

Rose up from a rescue and escaped with the rope still around the head

Task Successful

Capture and relocation of 3 Grevy’s zebras (comprising of a mother, foal and adult male)

Task Successful

Suffering from hind leg dislocation and decubital wounds. It failed to recover This was a semi-blind black rhino that fell off a cliff and died instantly Suspected to have been hit and injured by another adult male rhino over mating rights A security horse which had developed a swelling and arthritis of the fetlock joint

Died Died Died Prognosis Poor

KWS/SWT Mt Kenya Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations January 2019

Case 1 – 6th January 2019 Elephant

Spear

Ngorare Wildlife Conservancy

The male elephant was spotted on his own near a river within the Ngorare Wildlife Conservancy. He was very weak and in a lot of pain, and we could see some exudates on the affected thigh that required urgent veterinary attention.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The injured elephant was found in a thick area of bushes, but we were able to track and dart it from a vehicle. It was adequately immobilized after about 6 minutes and went down on lateral recumbency.

The elephant had one deep penetrating wound on the right upper thigh suspected to be a spear wound; it had a lot of pus and necrotic debris. The wound was properly cleaned with water, lots of pus and exudates were squeezed out then the wound was probed using sterile gauze swabs attached to long forceps to remove all the necrotic debris and ensure no foreign material was left inside.

The wound was then debrided using 10% Hydrogen Peroxide and cleaned and flushed with tincture of iodine. It was further treated using Opticlox ointment, and then green clay was used to plug the wound followed by Oxytetracycline spray. Other treatments included an intramuscular injection of Penicillin to manage the heavy infection around the wound and anti-inflammatories/pain relief.

Prognosis Unfortunately, the prognosis was not good because the wound was quite deep and heavily infected which might lead to septicaemia. The animal is still being monitored and the rangers will report to the vet unit if further treatment is necessary.

Case 2 – 7th January 2019 White Rhino

Natural Causes

Lewa Conservancy

The injured female white rhino was reported by the security manager of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. She was quite weak, limping and unable to put weight on the affected leg.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The injured rhino was in the company of its 2 year-old calf and a helicopter was used to drive the calf away so that the mother could be treated. The rhino was then darted from a vehicle and the induction time was about 5 minutes. To improve the plane of anaesthesia and respiration 10 mg of Butorphanol plus 50mg of Doxapram Hcl was administered through the ear vein soon after the rhino was anaesthetised.

On examination, the rhino had decubital wounds on the bonny prominences caused by prolonged period of lying down. The affected leg was weak and atrophied, swollen and inflamed.

The superficial wounds were cleaned with water, cauterized with diluted Hydrogen Peroxide, disinfected with Tincture of Iodine, and then sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray.

The rhino was then treated using BetamoxÂŽ and Dexamethasone anti-inflammatory drugs which were administered intramuscularly to enhance the wound healing process. Multivitamin injection was also administered intramuscularly.

Prognosis Recovery from anaesthesia was smooth and the rhino rose up within 2 minutes. Prognosis was poor due to either the dislocation or fracture of the tarsal joint that might take time to heal because of the old age of the rhino.

Case 3 – 14th January 2019 Mountain Bongo

Technical Cases

Mt Kenya Game Ranch

The management of Mt Kenya Game Ranch requested the Veterinary Unit’s assistance in the chemical immobilization, capture, samples collection and relocation of one of the male bongos that had escaped from its enclosure.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The male bongo was approached and darted on foot. The drug took effect after about 10 minutes and the bongo went down. The bongo was put on a stretcher and carried before being loaded into the back of a pick-up van which was padded with hay, and driven to another enclosure about 2km away. The anaesthesia was monitored throughout journey and the team kept on pouring water on the bongo to ensure he was in a stable condition during the operation.

Soon after off-loading the bongo, blood samples were taken from the jugular vein, tissue and tick samples were collected and blood smears were also prepared to be preserved in the laboratory for further analysis.

Prognosis The relocated bongo was then revived from anaesthesia and rose up after 2 minutes.

Case 4 – 14th January 2019 Mountain Bongo

Natural Causes

Mount Kenya Game Ranch

A juvenile mountain bongo had a large abscess on the right side of the thigh that had accumulated a lot of pus and was very painful.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The young bongo was physically restrained by hand, the abscess region was shaved clean using a scalpel blade and disinfected using 70% Ethanol and surgical spirit. The abscess was then cut and all the exudates were pressed out completely. The wound was cleaned properly using forceps attached to gauze swabs, 10% Hydrogen Peroxide and Tincture of Iodine. The wound was then further treated using Opticlox® ointment and Oxytetracycline spray and left open to continue draining the pus after treatment. The animal was further treated using Betamox® and Dexamethasone administered intramuscularly.

The cause of the abscess is not yet ascertained but most likely due to environmental contamination within the enclosures.

Prognosis Prognosis was quite good after lancing and draining of the abscess and treatment of the wound, the juvenile male is now recovering well.

Case 5 – 15th January 2019 Waterbuck

Snared

Mt Kenya National Park

An adult female waterbuck was reported to have along rope snare on the right front leg near Naru Moru gate in Mt. Kenya National Park.

Immobilization, examination and treatment The snared waterbuck was darted from a vehicle and was fully immobilized after about 6 minutes. The manila rope was tight around the coronary band just above the hoof and the rope was quickly extracted from the tissue using long forceps and cut off using a surgical blade. There was no wound so the affected part was just sprayed using Oxytetracycline spray.

Prognosis The waterbuck rose up 2 minutes after the anaesthetic was reversed. Prognosis was good after the snare was removed.

Case 6 – 19th January 2019 Giraffe

Snared

Ole Nashuu Wildlife Conservancy

A sub-adult male reticulated giraffe was reported to have a loose hanging wire snare around the right hind leg. It had stayed with the wire for some time and required veterinary intervention. The wire was disturbing the animal and it could be seen stepping on it as it walked.

Immobilization, examination and treatment The injured giraffe was found browsing in a family of other giraffes in a thick area of bushes from where it was chased and darted from a vehicle. It took about 7 minutes for the immobilization drug to take effect and the giraffe was roped down by the veterinary team assisted by the team at the Ole Nashuu Conservancy. The wire was immediately cut off using a wire cutter; it had not caused any wound on the affected leg.

Prognosis The giraffe was revived from anaesthesia and he got and joined the other giraffes. Prognosis was good after removal of the snare.

Case 7 – 20th January 2019 Elephant

Bullet wound

Lewa Conservancy

An elephant carcass was sighted within the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the carcass was about 2 days old and had started decomposing; parts of it had been scavenged.

Post-mortem examination The elephant carcass had both the tusks intact and part of the trunk had been scavenged. It had two bullet wounds through the left shoulder that went through the lungs and heart muscles. It had lots of internal haemorrhages in the thoracic cavity. All other organs were intact. The gun shot could have been due to human-wildlife conflict or attempted poaching.

The elephant was killed by a gun shot through the thoracic cavity, lungs and heart. It then succumbed to severe internal haemorrhage leading to hypovolemic shock, anaemia and death.

Case 8 – 22nd January 2019 Elephant

Human-wildlife conflict

Ilpolei, Laikipia

This was a case of a sub-adult male elephant, about 10 years old, sighted by community scouts from Ilpolei area in Laikipia County; it had a deep penetrating wound on the right hind leg. The elephant was most likely left by the herd since it could not keep pace with the other elephants.

Immobilization, examination and treatment The injured elephant was found in a dense thicket from where it was tracked for several hours by a vehicle and on foot before it was eventually darted in the thigh muscle. It was adequately immobilized after about 10 minutes.

The elephant had a deep penetrating wound on the caudal side of the right hind leg. The leg was heavily swollen at the tarsal joint and the wound was quite infected. It was suspected to be a bullet wound most likely encountered during human-wildlife conflict in the area.

The wound was properly cleaned with clean water then probed using sterile gauze swabs attached to long forceps to remove all the necrotic debris and to ensure no foreign material was left inside.

Thereafter the wound was debrided and flushed with diluted 10% Hydrogen Peroxide, then cleaned and flushed with Tincture of Iodine. It was further treated using Opticlox® ointment applied topically and green clay applied to plug the wound followed by Oxytetracycline spray. Other treatments were intramuscular injection of Procaine Penicillin (Norocillin®) and Flunixine Meglumine to support the wound healing process.

Prognosis After treatment, the elephant was revived from anaesthesia. It rose up and went for water from the nearby river. Prognosis was good after the wound was treated; quick recovery was expected since the bones were not affected and the elephant is quite young.

Case 9 – 22nd January 2019 Giraffe

Technical Case

Laikipia Ranches

An adult male reticulated giraffe was reported to have a long rope hanging around its head. The giraffe was said to have had a fierce fight with another bull giraffe earlier in the day. When the rangers tried to pull it up after the fight, it rose up and escaped with the rope still around the head.

Immobilization, examination and treatment The giraffe was darted from a vehicle. It took about 12 minutes for the immobilization drug to take effect and the giraffe was roped down by the veterinary team assisted by the team at the Conservancy.

The loose rope was quickly untied and removed from the head. It had not caused any injury to the giraffe therefore it was just removed and the animal set free.

Prognosis The giraffe was then revived from anaesthesia, it rose up and walked off into the thicket. Prognosis is good as no injuries were sustained.

Case 10 – 26th January 2019 Zebra

Human-wildlife conflict

Naibor, Laikipia

The Vet Unit was requested to assist in the capture and relocation of 3 grevy zebras (comprising of a mother, foal and adult male) from Naibor Ranch in Laikipia along the Rumuruti – Maralal Road. These grevy zebras were in a small compound and were involved in human-wildlife conflict as one had bitten and injured a young child.

Immobilization and relocation All the 3 grevy zebras were successfully darted from a vehicle. After darting the animals were placed on a specially designed animal stretcher and successively loaded onto the lorry truck.

Inside the truck, tissue, ticks and blood samples were collected then the zebras were revived from anaesthesia and were driven to Sera Wildlife Conservancy, a Conservancy about 300 kilometres away.

Case 11 – 27th January 2019 Southern White Rhino

Natural Causes

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

This was the same female white rhino that was treated two weeks ago suffering from hind leg dislocation and decubital wounds. It failed to recover despite several repeat treatments, eventually it was unable to stand or walk and a decision was made to euthanize it and recover the horns to alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering, since it had no chance of recovery from the injuries.

Post-mortem examination Post-mortem examination revealed a complete compound fracture of the tarso-metatarsal joint of the

right hind leg. The fracture wound had become heavily necrotic and infected oozing a lot of pus. The bones were shuttered and could not rejoin again. The horns were recovered and taken to safe custody at Kenya Wildlife Service HQ.

Case 12 – 29th January 2019 Black Rhino

Natural Causes

Lewa Conservancy

This was a semi-blind female black rhino that fell off a cliff and died instantly within Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Lewa management called in the veterinary unit to conduct a post-mortem.

Post-mortem examination The carcass was about 5 days old, full of maggots and partly scavenged. Both the horns were intact and recovered by Kenya Wildlife Service for safe custody. It had fallen of a steep cliff and broken the cervical vertebral bones and died instantly. The immediate cause of death was an injury to the spinal cord after breaking the cervical vertebrae.

Case 13 – 30th January 2019 Black Rhino

Natural Causes

Lewa Conservancy

A carcass of a sub-adult male southern white rhino was found on 30/01/2019 by security rangers while on inter-block patrols. It had both horns intact and it was suspected to have been hit and injured by another adult male rhino over mating rights; the last time it was sighted was in a company of a mating group.

Post-mortem examination The carcass was completely decomposed and only the skull, ribs, vertebral bones, pelvic bones, scapular, hooves, clavicle bones and other bones structures were found. The carcass was estimated to be about 2 months old as this rhino was last sighted in mid-November 2018. It had decomposed faster due to high temperatures and many scavengers which quickly consumed all the soft muscles, skin and tissues. All the bones were intact with no sign of fracture or breakage. The carcass was found in a very thick forest under a canopy along the riverine where aerial or ground sighting was not easy. The cause of death was suspected to be due to trauma caused by other male rhinos over mating rights.

Case 14 – 31st January 2019 Security Horse

Technical Case

Aberdare National Park

The unit also attended to one of the security horses belonging to the Aberdares National Park which had developed a swelling and arthritis of the fetlock joint. This could have been caused by inadequate exercise and muscle subluxation at the joint. The joint was aspirated using 18gauge needle and a syringe but had no pus.

It was treated using long-acting antibiotics Amoxicillin (BetamoxÂŽ), Flunixine Meglumine which were administered intramuscularly. The treatment continued every 3 days for a week.

Prognosis The prognosis is not very good due to arthritis that is advancing daily.

Report by Dr. Domnic Mijele