SWT/KWS TSAVO MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT MAY 2021
Introduction
9 Cases in May
3 Poaching Cases
4 Elephant Cases
May Report by Dr. Jeremiah Poghon The month of May was characterised by a rise in daytime temperatures and cold windy nights. Large numbers of wildlife species could be seen crowding around remaining waterholes since much of the Tsavo ecosystem was drying up. During the month in question, the TMVU attended to three snaring cases involving two elephants and a female waterbuck. Two elephants were treated for marked lameness, four dogs were given prophylactic treatment for trypanosomiasis and autopsies were conducted on a rhino calf and zebra carcass. 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 through the Assistant director Tsavo conservation area and the Head, Veterinary Services Department.
Case Details Date
Species
Area Found
10-May-21
Elephant
Shimba Hills
Snared
Had a wire snare on the left hindlimb resulting in a heavily infected wound
Successfully Treated
12-May-21
Security Dog
Tsavo East NP
Technical Cases
Prophylactic treatment of Trypanosomiasis transmitted by Tsetse flies through bites
Successfully Treated
18-May-21
Rhino White
Kaluku
Postmortem
Rhino rescued due to traumatic trampling injuries died at the Nursery
Died
20-May-21
Elephant
Shimba Hills
Natural Causes
Had a bruised and worn-out footpad that was exposing the heel of the right hindlimb
Successfully Treated
23-May-21
Waterbuck
Tsavo East NP
Snared
The wire snare around the neck was loose and not inflicting injury to the neck muscles
Successfully Treated
26-May-21
Security Dog
Kaluku
Technical Cases
Routine check-up and treatment of security dogs at the SWT-Kaluku Dog Unit
Task Successful
27-May-21
Elephant
Tsavo East NP
Snared
Snare around one of the tusks with about 2 meters of the wire trailing on the ground
Successfully Treated
29-May-21
Elephant
Kaluku
Natural Causes
The elbow joint of the left forelimb was swollen; possible fracture or dislocation
Prognosis Poor
30-May-21
Zebra
Tsavo East NP
Postmortem
no meaningful examination was possible so cause of death could not be ascertained
Died
Reason for Intervention
Outcome
SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations May 2021
Case 1 – 10th May 2021 Elephant
Snared
Shimba Hills
The TMVU received a report of a lame elephant bull in the community area around Shimba Hills National Reserve. The elephant had a wire snare on the left hindlimb resulting in a heavily infected wound. The vet team was airlifted from Voi Airstrip to the area to examine the affected elephant and carry out the crucially needed treatment.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment Once sighted, the elephant was darted from a helicopter with 12mg Etorphine and full immobilization was achieved after 7 minutes. Copious amount of water was poured on her to keep her cool. The elephant cow had a contaminated wound on the left hindleg around the carpal joint caused by a wire snare. The wire snare was cut using wire cutters and the dead tissue debrided with Hydrogen peroxide. The wound was then cleaned with Iodine and packed with green clay for its healing properties. He was administered with anti-inflammatories and antibiotics to manage pain/inflammation and bacterial infections respectively before being revived with 12mg Diprenorphine and 40mg Naltrexone intravenously and let go. Prognosis The prognosis for recovery is favourable.
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Case 2 – 12th May 2021 Security Dog
Technical Case
Tsavo East NP
Trypanosomiasis is a group of diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma. This is transmitted by Tsetse flies through bites. Affected dogs usually come down with anaemia, intermittent fever and weight loss. If left untended, the disease is fatal. Therefore, vaccination against trypanosomiasis is critical since the disease is prevalent in the parks due to presence of disease carrying vectors. The TMVU was involved in a prophylactic treatment of one of the dogs that are used in patrolling the vast areas of the Tsavo ecosystem. These canines play a crucial role in wildlife conservation by tracking poachers and detecting wildlife trophies. The dog was examined and noted to be active, well hydrated with a smooth coat and in good body condition. Immobilisation and treatment He was led by the handler and allowed to familiarise himself with the environment and the vet. A dilution of 1g of Isometamidium chloride was prepared in 50mls of distilled water giving a concentration of 20mg/ml. Based on the dog’s weight, a drug volume was calculated and 12.5mg of the dilution administered intramuscularly. He was walked around after treatment to check for any complications. Once satisfied that he was ok, he was led into a cage in the van and driven away. Prognosis Since no adverse reactions were noted, the prognosis is good.
Case 3 – 18th May 2021 White Rhino
Post-mortem
Kaluku
The Vet Unit received sad news of the death of a rescued rhino calf. The calf had a history of a wobbly gait, stunted growth and preferring to lying down. He was examined on 15/05/21 and noted to have lameness of the right hind leg, swelling at the left scapular region and bulging of the left eye due to a pressure build-up behind the eye socket. Despite all these, he was looking healthy, feeding well and active. Post-mortem Findings The carcass was lying on its left side with matting around the perineal area indicative of diarrhoea. There were no cutaneous injuries. Crepitation was felt in the right hindlimb, indicative of a fracture. There was rupture of muscles and tendons attaching the left scapula to the thorax and the extensor digitorum and peroneus longus muscles of the right hind leg with a large amount of pus. There was yellowish synovial fluid in the joints of the left forelimb and right hindlimbs. There was also an incomplete fracture of tibia and fibula bones proximal to the hock joint. Examination of the abdominal cavity revealed: mesenteric blood vessels, little food in the intestines, haemorrhages of the intestinal mucosa, and a congested liver. The thoracic cavity had slightly yellow fluid in the pleural space, congested lungs with froth and a pericardial sac with low levels of pericardial fluid. The ventricular muscles were also haemorrhagic. Cause of Death The pus indicated the wound was infected and the body was trying to fight the infection. The post-mortem findings revealed the injuries to the rhino calf’s right forelimb and left hindlimb were infected leading to septicaemia and death.
Case 4 – 20th May 2021 Elephant
Natural Causes
Shimba Hills National Reserve
A report was received by the Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit of an elephant with marked lameness in the Shimba Hills National Reserve. The report indicated that the elephant had been seen limping on the right hindlimb. To perform examination and treatment, the Vet was airlifted to the area. Immobilisation, examination and treatment A helicopter hovered over the suspected target elephant’s location and once sighted, she was darted from the helicopter with 12mg Etorphine. Full immobilization was achieved after 7 minutes of which water was poured on her to aid in thermoregulation before proceeding with physical examination. The Elephant was noted to have a bruised and worn-out footpad that was exposing the heel of the right hindlimb. The necrotic tissues were debrided with Hydrogen peroxide and cleaned with Iodine. Alamycin spray was applied before the wound was covered with green clay. 15,000mg of Amoxicillin and 20mg Dexamethasone were administered parenterally to manage bacterial infections and inflammation respectively. Prognosis The anaesthetic was reversed, and she stood up and walked away. The prognosis for recovery is favourable.
Case 5 – 23rd May 2021 Waterbuck
Snared
Tsavo East National Park
Due to wildlife poaching, there has been a substantial decline in the population of different wildlife species globally. This is influenced by the demand for bush meat, tusks, skins and other body parts. Wire snares are one-way poachers use to trap animals and can cause high degree injuries to the trapped animals. A report was received from the Voi de-snaring unit regarding a female waterbuck near the Voi gate with a wire snare. Immobilisation, examination and treatment A dart combining 6mg of Etorphine and 7mg of Xylazine was prepared by the Vet. Once the waterbuck was isolated from the rest of the herd, she was darted from a vehicle with the dart landing well on the rump. She went into sternal recumbency after 6 minutes and was quickly secured and a blindfolded The wire snare around the neck was loose therefore not inflicting injury to the neck muscles. It was removed and the waterbuck administered with 1500mg Amoxicillin and 20mg Dexamethasone. She was revived with 12mg Diprenorphine and 2.5 mg Atipamezole intravenously. She stood up after 2 minutes and ran into the nearby bush. Prognosis She had a good body condition and no severe cutaneous injuries so the prognosis is good.
Case 6 – 26th May 2021 Security Dog
Technical Case
Kaluku, Tsavo East National Park
The TMVU was involved in the routine check-up and treatment of security dogs at the SWT-Kaluku Dog Unit on 26th May 2021. The dogs were due for the vaccination in April 2021, because trypanosomiasis, which is a vector-borne disease, is prevalent in the parks because of the high Tsetse fly populations. Therefore, this vaccination is essential as it helps maintain their health and development of immunity against the disease. Immobilisation, examination and treatment The dogs were led out of their kennels by the handlers and allowed to relax as they underwent physical examination. One of the dogs was noted to have an elevated body temperature of 38.9ºC and a respiration rate of 28 breathes/min. A blood sample was collected from the dog for microscopic examination. The other dogs were active and with a good body condition score of 3 out of 5. The dogs were vaccinated with Isometamidium chloride (Trypamidium-Samorin ). A dosage rate of 0.5mg/kg was used, and the drug administered based on their body weights.
Prognosis No adverse reactions were noted from the vaccinations therefore the prognosis is good.
Case 7 – 27th May 2021 Elephant
Snared
Tsavo East National Park
During their normal patrols, the KWS team sighted a magnificent adult elephant bull with a wire snare around the tusks at a waterhole near Satao Camp. This information was relayed to the Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit who responded by visiting the area to examine the elephant, remove the wire snare and carry out any needed treatment. Immobilisation, examination and treatment A dart was prepared with 18mg of Etorphine then the bull was darted from a vehicle. Full immobilization was achieved after 10 minutes and the Vet proceed to carry out a physical examination. The elephant bull had a wire snare around one of the tusks with about 2 meters of the wire snare trailing on the ground. Since there were no injuries inflicted to the elephant and with other vitals being normal, the wire snare was removed by hand and the bull revived with 24mg Diprenorphine and 40mg Naltrexone. Prognosis He stood up after 5 minutes and walked back for a mud bath in a nearby waterhole. The prognosis is good.
Case 8 – 29th May 2021 Elephant
Natural Causes
Kaluku, Tsavo
The TMVU was made aware of an elephant bull sighted around the Kaluku area in Tsavo East with marked lameness. Based on the urgency of treatment, the veterinary team drove to the area to ascertain the cause of lameness and carry out the needed treatment.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment The bull was darted from a helicopter with 16mg of Etorphine and went down on lateral recumbency after 10 minutes. He was quickly secured, and airways ensured to be patent to aid in normal breathing before proceeding with physical examination. The bull had abrasion wounds to the right side, near the eye, and on the rump. The wounds were cleaned with Iodine and sprayed Alamycin spray. The elbow joint of the left forelimb was also noted to be swollen and suspected to be due to a fracture or dislocation after palpation. Anti-inflammatories and 1,500mg of Amoxicillin were administered to manage the inflammation and any bacterial infections before reversing the anaesthesia with 24mg Diprenorphine and 40mg Naltrexone. Prognosis He stood with the aid of a cruiser after 5 minutes and walked away. The prognosis is guarded to poor. .
Case 9 – 30th May 2021 Zebra
Post-mortem
Ndara, Tsavo Eat National Park
The Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit was notified of a zebra carcass sighted in Ndara, Tsavo East. The team visited the location to perform an autopsy examination and ascertain the cause of death. Immobilisation, examination and treatment The carcass was found to have been dragged a few meters from the point of death by scavengers. The internal organs and cutaneous parts of the carcass had also been eaten by scavengers with only some portions of the skeletal anatomy intact. Cause of Death Based on the state of the carcass, no meaningful examination was carried out thus the cause of death could not be ascertained