SWT/KWS TSAVO MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT JUNE 2020
Introduction
13 Cases in June
6 Poaching Cases
5 Elephant Cases
June Report by Dr. Jeremiah Poghon The month of June witnessed a rise in injuries to wildlife attributed to human-wildlife conflict and poaching attempts; mainly bush meat poaching. Cases may continue to increase as water holes dry up and vegetation dries out. Cases handled include treatment of injured elephants in Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli National Park. A zebra was de-snared near Ndii, Tsavo East, and another euthanized after sustaining a serious injury from a vehicle accident. A new born elephant calf was examined in Tsavo East after a suspected still birth, several wildlife deaths were investigated in Taita Ranch and there was an autopsy on an elephant carcass in Tsavo West. A problem lion was translocated from Masimba to southern Tsavo West and 2 male wild dogs treated for snares around the neck. Acknowledgement The Unit acknowledges the support of its sponsors ViER PFOTEN through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) for their huge financial support to the unit. We also thank Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) through the Assistant director of the Tsavo Conservation Area and the head of the Veterinary Services Department.
SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations June 2020
Case Details Date
Species
Area Found
Reason for Intervention
Outcome
11-Jun-20
Elephant
Tsavo East NP
Arrow
There was a penetrating wound on the left front limb near the elbow joint
Successfully Treated
12-Jun-20
Elephant
Amboseli NP
Bullet
The bull had a penetrating wound to the lower left front limb with pus oozing out
Prognosis Poor
14-Jun-20
Elephant
Tsavo West NP
Postmortem
The carcass was lying on the right flank at a mid-advanced level of decomposition
Died
15-Jun-20
Zebra
Taita Ranch, Tsavo
HWC
The area was recently fenced. Inside there were 5 carcasses 1 giraffe and 4 zebras
HWC Death
15-Jun-20
Giraffe
Taita Ranch, Tsavo
HWC
The area was recently fenced. Inside there were 5 carcasses 1 giraffe and 4 zebras
HWC Death
18-Jun-20
Zebra
Tsavo East NP
Snared
The wire snare tight around the neck that was long and dragging a tree
Successfully Treated
21-Jun-20
Elephant
Tsavo West NP
Postmortem
A fresh elephant calf carcass was found beside Irima water hole area
Died
23-Jun-20
Elephant
Tsavo West NP
Arrow
There was an arrow wound to the left rump that was in the process of healing
Successfully Treated
23-Jun-20
Lion
Kiboko, Chyulus
HWC
Lions were reported to be predating on livestock in a community village
Task Successful
24-Jun-20
Rhino Black
Mukururo, Chyulus
Postmortem
The carcass was fully decomposed with only the head and long bones present
Died
26-Jun-20
Zebra
Tsavo East NP
Human Wildlife Conflict
A fatally injured zebra struggling with obvious vehicular accident marks
HWC Death
28-Jun-20
Wild Dog
Tsavo East NP
Snared
Both the wild dogs were under a tree with deep cutting wire snares around the neck
Prognosis Poor
28-Jun-20
Wild Dog
Tsavo East NP
Snared
Both the wild dogs were under a tree with deep cutting wire snares around the neck
Successfully Treated
Case 1 – 11th June 2020 Elephant
Arrow
Ndii, Tsavo East National Park
The report of an injured elephant cow was received from KWS rangers manning Ndii area of Tsavo East National Park after they had spotted a lame elephant near a water hole in the area.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment A dart was prepared and filled with 14 mgs M99 (Etorphine). The elephant was approached with a vehicle and darted in the rump. She went down after 7 minutes and was quickly secured and placed on her side for treatment. There was a penetrating wound to the left front limb near the elbow joint. The wound was probed and no foreign object was felt. The wound was cleaned with dilute Hydrogen peroxide then doused with tincture of Iodine and finally covered with wetted green clay. The elephant was also administered with long acting antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs intramuscularly and intravenously respectively. Copious amounts of water was poured on the ears to cool the elephant down throughout the treatment. Prognosis After treatment the bull was given a clean bill of health and the anaesthesia was reversed with M5050 at three times the Etorphine dose. The cow stood up and walked away calmly. Prognosis is good
Case 2 – 12th June 2020 Elephant
Bullet Wound
Amboseli National Park
The report of an injured elephant bull was received from the senior warden of Amboseli National Park. The Vet travelled by road to Kaluku HQ then was airlifted by the SWT Helicopter to Amboseli for the operation. The helicopter searched for the elephant which was easily found near the original location. Immobilisation, examination and treatment The helicopter approached the bull that was obviously lame on the left front limb. The bull was pushed to a clearing where he was darted with 18mgs Etorphine. He went down after 9 minutes and the ground teams secured the elephant whilst the helicopter and vet landed. The bull had a penetrating wound on the lower left front limb with pus oozing out. The wound was probed and no foreign object was found. The wound was cleaned with Hydrogen peroxide and tincture of Iodine then covered with green clay. The elephant was also administered with long acting antibiotics and antiinflammatory drugs intramuscularly and intravenously respectively. Prognosis Prognosis is guarded due to joint infection.
Case 3 – 14th June 2020 Elephant
Post-mortem
Tsavo West National Park
The report was made by the platoon commander Tsavo West National Park of an elephant carcass which was located near Ngulia lodge of Tsavo West National Park. The unit visited the area which is 70 kms away to perform an autopsy. Post-mortem examination The carcass was lying on the right flank at a mid-advanced level of decomposition. All the soft tissues were rotting away with marked scavenger activity on the carcass. Cause of Death Autopsy could not reveal the cause of death due to the advanced autolysis and scavengers that had eaten away all the internal organs. Tusks were recovered by KWS
Case 4 and 5 – 15th June 2020 Zebra/Giraffe
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Taita Ranch, Tsavo
The carcasses were spotted by the Wildlife works Rukinga pilot during their normal patrols. The Tsavo Vet unit was informed and responded to the case the following day to determine the cause of death. Examination The area was recently fenced off completely about 4 months ago to conserve hay grass for harvesting. Within the fence the Unit found 5 carcasses; 1 giraffe and 4 zebras aged between 2 days and 1 week. The only carcass viable for autopsy was the 2-day old zebra carcass. Colon ingester was observed to be abnormally hard and desiccated. The other organs were either eaten away or undergone autolytic changes. There is no watering point in the fenced area. The Unit saw 5 zebras alive inside the enclosure but the Rukinga pilot reported seeing 3 giraffes, 18 zebras, 2 elands and 1 ostrich during the aerial recce. Cause of death Dehydration due to lack of water. The remaining animals should be removed from the fenced area to allow them to have access to water. Proper EIA should have been undertaken before putting up the fence to prevent these deaths.
Case 6 – 14th June 2020 Zebra
Snared
Tsavo East National Park
The zebra was reported by the SWT de-snaring teams patrolling the area. The wire snare was tight around the neck, long and dragging a tree making movement difficult. The zebra could barely breathe and was easily traced as he could barely move. Immobilisation, examination and treatment The zebra was approached on foot and darted with 7 mgs of Etorphine and 60 mgs of Xylazine. He was darted in the rump and went down on the right flank after running for about 5 minutes. The tight wire snare around the neck and also attached to a tree was cut loose and the wounds on the neck and hind legs treated with antibiotic spray and Iodine. Long acting antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs were administered parenterally. Reversal and Prognosis The anaesthetic was reversed with 18 mgs of Diprenorphine Hcl and 5 mgs of Atipemazole Hcl IV through the jugular vein. Prognosis is good.
Case 7 – 21st June 2020 Elephant
Post-mortem
Tsavo West National Park
The report was received from KWS rangers that a fresh elephant calf carcass had been found beside Irima water hole area of Tsavo East National Park. The vet team visited the area to ascertain the cause of death. Post-mortem examination The carcass was lying on the right flank and was still fresh (less than 12 hours since death). The calf was a new born with the umbilicus still wet. There were no other external injuries observed. No sign of struggle were seen meaning the calf was possibly a still born and never made it out alive at birth. Cause of Death The cause of the still birth could not be determined.
Case 8 – 23rd June 2020 Elephant
Arrow
Tsavo West National Park
The report of an injured elephant bull at Kenani area of Tsavo West was received from the SWT field office at Kaluku after being seen during an aerial recce. The Vet Team found the big bull and was joined by the SWT helicopter to aid in darting as the area is bushy with no off-road tracks Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was approached with the helicopter and pushed towards the road for easy access by the ground teams then darted in the rump with 18mgs Etorphine. He barely moved a few hundred meters before going down on lateral recumbency. The elephant was secured and water poured on the ears to keep him cool. There was an arrow wound to the left rump that was in the process of healing after the arrow had come out. The wound was flushed with Hydrogen peroxide then doused with Iodine before being packed with green clay. The elephant was also given long acting antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Prognosis After treatment the anaesthesia was reversed and the bull stood up and walked away calmly. The wound was caused by suspected territorial fight with another bull. Prognosis is good
Case 9 – 23rd June 2020 Lion
Huma-wildlife Conflict
Kiboko, Chyulus
Some lions were reported to be preying on livestock in a Community Village near Masimba township along the Nairobi- Mombasa highway. After several failed attempts by KWS rangers to try and solve the problem, a decision was made to translocate the lion to southern Tsavo West. Due to the thick bush that was inaccessible to vehicles, assistance was sought from the SWT helicopter to assist in darting the lion.
Immobilisation and relocation The lion was darted from the helicopter with 300 mgs of Ketamine mixed with 4 Mgs of Meditomidine Hcl. The lion was darted after it was tracked through the thick bush and he went down but was still alert and it had to be darted again from the ground. She was then blind folded and loaded into a cage trap after which the anaesthesia was reversed with Atipemazole Hcl. Prognosis The lion was transported about 250kms away to southern Tsavo West National Park and released calmly at night.
Case 10 – 24th June 2020 Black Rhino
Post-mortem
Mukururo, Chyulus
The report was received from the Company Commander of Tsavo West that an old carcass belonging to a rhino calf, that disappeared months ago and could not be traced, was found deep inside Mukururo forest within Chyulu National Park. The calf was last spotted alive in late October 2019. Post-mortem examination The carcass was fully decomposed with only the head and long bones present but scattered. The bones were light in weight (less ossification) due to young age. There were bite marks on the bones attributed to predation or scavenging. The age of carcass from death was estimated at 3 months while the age of the calf at the time of death estimated at 5 months (dental aging) 2 molars were grown. Cause of Death The cause of death could not be determined due to the loss of all soft tissue organs due to autolysis.
Case 11 – 26th June 2020 Zebra
Human-wildlife Conflict
Tsavo East National Park
The zebra was reported by a Community Member who observed an injured zebra struggling to walk along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway near the Ndii area bordering the park. The unit rushed to the area to find the gravely injured zebra struggling on the ground with obvious vehicular accident marks on the hind quarters. Immobilisation The zebra was approached on foot then darted with 8mgs of Etorphine Hcl and 60 mgs of Azaperone. He was darted in the rump, but couldn’t move due to the injury. Prognosis Examination revealed that the accident caused fracture of the pelvic bone that was untreatable and the animal was euthanized due to poor prognosis.
Case 12 and 13 – 28th June 2020 Wild Dog
Snared
Tsavo East National Park
Visitors touring Tsavo East reported a pack of 20 wild dogs in Ndii, Tsavo East with one having a snare around the neck. The team found the pack under a tree, and not one but two, had wire snares around the neck.
Immobilisation and relocation The dogs were approached slowly with a vehicle and darted in quick succession with 60mgs Ketamine and 1mg Meditomidine; both were immobilised in 6 minutes. The dogs were moved into shade as the rest of the pack was chased away. Towels were used to cover the eyes and water splashed on them to cool down. The tight snares that cut deep into the neck muscles were cut loose. Examination of one dog revealed the snare had cut through part of the trachea. The wounds were cleaned with Iodine and sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray. Long acting Amoxicillin and Dexamethsone were administered intramuscularly. Prognosis Prognosis for one dog is good and the other guarded due to the tracheal injury.
Other Activities The unit examined several wildlife parts confiscated from bush meat poachers and produced several expert reports for prosecution purposes.