SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit Report - July 2019

SWT/KWS AMBOSELI MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT JULY 2019

Introduction

7 Cases in July

6 Elephant Cases

3 Poaching Cases

July Report by Dr. Kariuki Edward During July 2019, Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit (AMVU) attended to ten elephants and one lion. Five elephants were collared in one case/exercise, whilst another three had to be treated for injuries related to natural causes or poaching. One elephant was rescued after becoming stuck in the muddy swamps of Amboseli National Park and lastly, a post-mortem was conducted on an elephant where the cause of death was found to be a respiratory problem. The vet unit was called to treat a lion that was seen by a snare but despite extensive searching it could not be located.

Acknowledgement We thank the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) for material support and Mobile Unit funding, KWS for logistical support and security. Biglife foundation, and SWT rangers for reporting and monitoring of distressed wild animals. The SWT Pilots and Craig from Biglife are thanked for their assistance in the aerial surveillance of the elephants after darting.

Case Details Date

Species

Area Found

Reason for Intervention

Outcome

20-Jul-19

Elephant

Tsavo East NP

Bullet Wound

The left hindleg was swollen with an infected penetrating wound

Prognosis Poor

22-Jul-19

Elephant

Chyulu Hills

Postmortem

Elephant carcass presumed to have died from natural causes

Died

24-Jul-19

Elephant

Tsavo East NP

Natural Causes

An extensive infected wound on the limb

Prognosis Poor

24-Jul-19

Elephant

Amboseli NP

Rescue

An elephant bull stuck in a section of Olodare swamps

Task Successful

25-Jul-19

Elephant

Amboseli NP

Collared

Collared 5 subadult males for behavioural studies.

Task Successful

26-Jul-19

Elephant

Kiboko, Tsavo

Arrow

The elephant had multiple swellings of which one had pus filled wound

Successfully Treated

27-Jul-19

Lion

Tsavo East NP

Snared

Despite an extensive search, difficult terrain prevented treatment

Not Located

SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations July 2019

Case 1 – 20th July 2019 Elephant

Bullet Wound

Kaluku, Tsavo East

Kaluku office reported the sick elephant to AMVU. The DSWT rangers visited the site, confirmed the case.

An aircraft was used to take the team to the area and to dart the elephant. Darting was done using a chopper.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was captured chemically using 18mg Etorphine HCl. It went down in about 4 minutes and rested on lateral recumbency for ease of treatment.

The elephant was emaciated with a body score of 2 out of 5. The left rare limb was swollen and with an infected penetrating wound. The elephant was treated systemically with antibiotics (100ml of Amoxicillin (Betamox LA®), and multivitamin® 50ml through the intramuscular route. Flunixin® was given to arrest pain.

The wound was narrow, open and had no foreign body in it. Oxy-tetracycline wound spray was applied on the wound to prevent fly strike. This treatment was second on the same elephant for the wound in period of 3 weeks before this treatment.

Prognosis The prognosis was fair.

Case 2 – 22nd July 2019 Elephant

Post-mortem

Karlos Farm, Chyulus

KWS Rangers at Kiboko reported the dead elephant on 21 st July. The bull was suspected to have died on Friday 19th July. The two tusks were removed for custody before the post-mortem. One tusk was easily removed by hand without cutting. One tusk produced pus on removal. The tusks weighed a total of 54kg.

Gross Observations The carcass was found lying on the right lateral position with the rear hind leg below the body in a coiled position. The body tissues were moderately decomposed, and the carcass was bloated and full of flies with small maggots beginning to form. Age was estimated to be between 35-40 years. No information was available on the elephant before death. Body fluids had not flowed from the mouth or nostrils and there was no evidence of a pre-death struggle. The elephant carcass demonstrated good body condition before death.

There was an injury on the left foreleg at the level of digits. The abdomen was open, and most organs exteriorized indicating scavenging activity the previous night. Maggots were seen on the medial side of the ear. A normal quantity of ticks was found on the animal. An incision was made to open the carcass through the lateral flank area. The rumen and small intestines were empty, but the colon and rectum had a normal bolus of faeces. The lungs were congested, and the pulmonary vessels were dark in colour.

Cause of Death Respiratory problem.

Case 3 – 24th July 2019 Elephant

Natural Causes

Kanderi, Tsavo East National Park

SWT rangers reported the calf to AMVU on 24th July 2019. The calf was lame and inactive. The AMVU team confirmed and treated the animal the same day. The AMVU team used an aircraft to access the calf.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The calf was immobilized using 5mg Etorphine HCl and pulled to a lateral recumbency position for treatment.

The calf was in good body condition but with an extensive infected wound on the limb. It was treated systemically with antibiotics (50ml of Amoxicillin (Betamox LA®), and Calvasone ® 10ml, given through the intramuscular route. The wound was irrigated with iodine and sprayed with Oxytetracycline to cover for fly attack.

Prognosis The prognosis was guarded.

Case 4 – 24th July 2019 Elephant

Rescue

Olodare Swamp, Amboseli National Park

A report regarding a subadult elephant bull that was stuck in a section of the Olodare swamps in Amboseli National Park was received by KWS on the morning of 24th July 2019. A KWS officer (Mr. Gitonga) confirmed and reported the case to AMVU.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment This subadult male elephant got stuck the previous night while on a feeding spree.

The swamp was drying up, contributing to a lot of the sticky-ness of the muddy pool. The area had water and highly palatable vegetation for an elephant’s nutrition. This is the main source of feed during the dry season or when the grass cover is depleted. During the time of this case, drought conditions led to water evaporation which left a muddy sludge. The elephant had wandered into the sl The elephant was removed by pulling it with ropes and 2 landcruisers and a tractor for traction. The exercise took 5 hours of hard work.

Prognosis The prognosis was good.

Case 5 – 25th July 2019 Elephant

Collared

Amboseli National Park

AMVU team in collaboration with Elephant Research, ATE and park management collared 5 sub adult males for behavioral studies.

Case 6 – 26th July 2019 Elephant

Arrow

Kilunyet, Chyulu National Park

Big life rangers reported the sick elephant to AMVU. KWS rangers visited the site and confirmed the case to AMVU. AMVU travelled to the site using a vehicle but darting was done using a helicopter.

Immobilisation, examination and treatment The elephant was immobilized using 2 darts; the first dart was unsuccessful in capturing the bull and an additional dart had to be prepared and used. The bull went down in about 6 minutes after the second dart and rested on lateral recumbency.

The elephant was in good body condition but had multiple swellings including one pus filled wound. The wound was narrow and had no foreign body in it but was likely caused by an arrow. All the pus was cleaned from the arrow wound, then the wound was disinfected and sprayed with Oxy-tetracycline wound spray. The elephant was then treated systemically with antibiotics (100ml of Amoxicillin (Betamox LA®), and multivitamin® 50ml through the intramuscular route.

Prognosis The prognosis was good.

Case 7 – 27th July 2019 Lion

Snared

Sala, Tsavo East National Park

Galana Conservancy Rangers reported a snared lion to AMVU. While the AMVU team travelled to the area using an aircraft, Aa search for the snared lion was conducted on foot and with a vehicle. It was difficult to locate and identify the actual culprit due to thick bush which dominated the riverine.

The identified lion was darted from a vehicle but on examination, didn’t have the snare. It is likely the snared lion was still hiding in the thick riverine, since there were 7 more lions expected in the same area.

The snared lion search continues on the ground and the case will be revisited again after sighting.

There are no pictures available for this case.