Field Notes: July - December 2014

THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

July-Dec 2014

FIELD NOTES

Saving lives together The past six months have seen our protection of wildlife in Kenya expand as we introduced our new and fully mobile Anti-Poaching Team and continue to work towards the preservation of Kenya’s wildlife and habitats. With global support, our field teams are making strides every day in conservation, saving lives each day whilst securing vital habitats for the future.

Orphans’ Project Roi’s dramatic rescue

Now living wild in Tsavo, ex-orphan Emily chose to return to our Voi Reintegration Centre on 23rd December 2014 to give birth amongst her human-elephant family who she had previously visited a few weeks previously with her her 16-strong herd. A wonderful surprise for all and a magical gift just two days before Christmas, our Keepers were privileged to be allowed to witness the birth by Emily, who was rescued at just one month old in 1993 after being rejected by her mother. Completing her own journey back to the wild, her new calf, named Emma joins Emily’s first wild born baby, Eve. With yet more ex-orphans expected to give birth in 2015, including Kinna, Edie, Sweet Sally and Icholta, we will, with your support, be working hard to keep Emily’s ex-orphan herd and other elephants safe through dedicated Aerial Surveillance and comprehensive patrolling by our nine Anti-Poaching Teams.

The Orphans’ Project offers hope for the future of Kenya’s threatened elephant and rhino populations as they struggle against the threat of poaching, the loss of habitat and human-wildlife conflict. Our online digital Fostering Program allows friends to make a difference in the raising and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants.

Ivory poachers tore apart Roi’s family, but this tiny orphaned elephant now has a new herd to call her own at our Nairobi Elephant Orphanage. On 22nd October 2014, we were called to rescue a young elephant who had been spotted standing over her poached mother’s body, deep in grief. Devastatingly, just 24 hours before, this youngster had been photographed by a passing tourist happily playing with her mother. With other young mothers in the herd refusing to let the tiny traumatised orphan suckle, it was

clear that without action she would slowly starve to death and we were called to rescue the young baby who we have since named Roi. Understandably, Roi was in mourning when she first arrived at our Orphanage, but with the specialist physical and psychological help of our Keepers, she is now beginning to smile and play. Foster Roi today and become part of her life story and journey back to a life in the wild: www.thedswt.org/roi Watch Roi’s dramatic rescue at: www.youtube.com/dswtkenya

Top left: © Swati Prasad Siddarth, Roi plays with her mother; Top right: © Swati Prasad Siddarth, Roi mourns her poached mother 24 hours later; Bottom centre: Roi smiling at our Orphanage; Right: Emily returns to Voi to give birth to Emma

Emily gives birth to 2nd calf

In There are few things more magnificent than a big Tusker. However it is estimated that there are just 100 of these irreplaceable individuals left across Africa. Through your support, our DSWT/Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Vet Units were able to afford iconic Amboseli Tusker, “Tim” a chance to roam the wilds once more, after he was injured in a spear attack. At over 45 years old, Tim is a well-known bull and was reported injured with a wound caused by a spear on his leg on 8th November 2014. Unfortunately as he was hidden away in dense bush KWS Vets had been unable to locate him

for medical treatment and by 10

November, it became crucial that he was found before it became too late for this magnificent bull. We called in our Aerial Surveillance Unit to assist and within 20 minutes, our rapid response helicopter was airborne. After picking up KWS Vet Dr Njoroge, who heads the DSWT funded Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit, they began the search and within 45 minutes sighted Tim with an infected wound high on his hip. Dr Njoroge successfully darted Tim from the air and our team immediately landed to administer emergency treatment in the shadow of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro.

Fortunately the team had reached Tim in time, and Dr Njoroge thoroughly cleaned the deep infected wound and packed it with protective green clay before administering long-lasting antibiotics to help him recover. The entire lifesaving operation lasted about 25 minutes and by 6pm, Tim had been revived and was back on his feet. As he wandered off, a huge bright rainbow formed overhead, giving us hope for Tim and other iconic individuals. Read the full story at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

Saving an elephant mother from poachers bullets The DSWT operates four

fully equipped Mobile Veterinary Units in partnership

with the Kenya Wildlife Service. These Units alleviate

the suffering of injured wild animals on an unprecedented

scale.

Equipped with custom-made vehicles, darting hatches,

operating tables and necessary medicines, our Units are on

hand to offer rapid and effective assistance to wildlife

in need.

On World Animal Day, 4th October 2014, whilst thousands of people took part in the Global Marches for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions, our DSWT/ KWS Sky Vets team were called to urgently treat a seriously injured elephant mother who had been shot by poachers. With her two young calves still dependant on their injured mother for milk and protection, keeping this young family together was imperative. Quickly flown to the

scene, our Sky Vets KWS Vet Dr Fredrick Olianga safely darted the mother with tranquiliser to begin treatment. After fully cleaning the wound, Dr Olianga administered healing green clay before reviving her. Thankfully she was back on her feet within minutes and re-joined her calves and herd which had congregated nearby.

Amboseli giant lives another day Top: Tusker ‘Tim’ looks on at our helicopter after treatment

Mobile

Veterinary

Units

Behind the scenes: Joseph Mzungu From coordinating our Anti-Poaching Teams and rescues, your support ensures Joseph, our Radio Controller, can react quickly to any incident. Tell us about your daily routine? By 6am I am in the office and making radio calls to the teams. KWS may get in touch requesting a plane or additional help and I coordinate our pilots ensuring we respond to the most urgent case.

How is our Aerial Surveillance helping to battle poachers? Even the sight of a plane flying above is enough to scare poachers away. Our helicopter has allowed our DSWT/KWS Vet Units to reach cases in just 30 minutes, saving time and lives. Do you have a message to our donors? I know we are making a positive difference; invest in us and we will do our level best to ensure poaching goes down.

Our Aerial Surveillance Unit

is a vital tool in the effective prevention of illegal activities and

for sighting/monitoring injured elephants.

Supporting our Anti-Poaching

Teams are four aircraft and one helicopter which report all

sightings and incidents to our headquarters for immediate

action in the field.

Top: A herd of elephants roam through Tsavo as spotted by our Pilot; Bottom: Radio Controller, Joseph, at work

Aerial Surveillance

In just two weeks in September 2014 our DSWT/KWS Veterinary Units treated 11 elephants for poisoned arrow wounds, all of whom have since successfully recovered. High tech equipment provided by global donations and the use of aircraft mean elephants targeted by poachers in the Tsavo Conservation Area now have a much higher chance of survival. As Dr Poghon explains: “Our new helicopter has greatly reduced the response time in

attending to reported cases but has also increased the safety of vet staff and the animal itself by darting from the safe height of a chopper and leading darted animals to safe areas. We are overjoyed when we spot the treated elephants thereafter fully recovered and back in good health.” Catch up with the latest news from our Aerial Surveillance Unit at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

11 elephants treated in two weeks thanks to Aerial Support

To combat ivory and

rhino horn poaching and protect wild places, the DSWT operates nine fully-

equipped Anti-Poaching Teams working together with

KWS to protect the greater Tsavo Conservation Area

(TCA) and beyond.

These highly skilled teams, accompanied by armed KWS

rangers, are equipped with vehicles, camping equipment,

radios, GPS units and cameras, patrolling daily to

combat wildlife poaching, as well as the threat of

bushmeat poaching.

Anti-Poaching Teams

Saving lives every day Through your support, our aerial and ground patrols are preventing bushmeat hunting and charcoal burning from destroying the biodiversity of the delicate Tsavo ecosystem. The thousands of animals killed each year by bushmeat poachers include buffalo and lesser kudu, but the current unsustainable rate means animals such as the Galana sub-species of giraffe face possible extinction. Without our Anti-Poaching patrols, poaching and charcoal burning gangs would operate uncontrolled and therefore irreparably damage wildlife populations. Through global donations, our highly trained teams confiscated 2,600 snares alone in 2014, saving thousands of lives.

New elite and mobile Anti-Poaching Team to protect wildlife Thanks to your support, our new Anti-Poaching Team is ready to deploy anywhere within Kenya where wildlife is under threat. Our elite team, in partnership with KWS, began its first mission in August to eradicate high levels of bushmeat poaching threatening Meru National Park. Within the first three weeks of operation the team arrested 8 prominent bush meat poachers, confiscated 55 poisoned arrows made specifically to target elephants and larger wild animals, and lifted nearly 300 wire and cable snares. Fully equipped and with high levels of fitness to allow them to spend long periods in the bush, our new Team offers threatened wildlife a lifeline and protection where there was previously none.

Top: Our Anti-Poaching Team on

patrol; Above; Lifting cable snares

We work to improve the livelihoods and educational standards of people living along the borders of Kenya's National Parks and protected areas through the introduction of community initiatives and local employment.

Building sustainable relationships with communities is key to protecting our wild spaces and animals. What better way than reaching out to the children of these communities and teaching the next generation about the importance of wildlife. In partnership with The Waves Charitable Trust in October 2014 we arranged the first Tsavo Sports Day with local schools as part of our Community Outreach work. Hosted at Kalambe Primary School in Voi, children from neighbouring schools, along with teachers, parents

and pupils took part in football and netball tournaments and there was a healthy rivalry between the schools, each keen to win their rounds, exemplified by the wild cheers of support by children from competing schools. The day of competition was followed by a fantastic series of poems, drama and dancing, and the day was an undoubted success. Interaction between schools in the region is usually rare and the children were thrilled to be a part of the tournament and have the chance to return next year.

Our new Beehive Project offers

a natural solution to human-elephant conflict and gives local

people a way to generate an income from projects and programmes that

work with, not against, wildlife.

Thanks to generous support from British Airways, we have completed

the erection of 1km of innovative beehive fences to prevent elephants

destroying crops and the risk of human retaliation.

Constructed alongside agricultural

plots in the Tsavo Conservation Area where conflict for water and food is common, these beehive

fences act as an effective barrier, repelling elephants that have a

natural fear of bees and allow plot holders to benefit from the income

that the honey collected provides.

We hope to extend the bee fences by a further 1km within the coming

months to bring this sustainable project to more communities, and

in the long term, allow elephants and humans to exist in harmony.

Beehives reduce human elephant conflict

Above: Children at the Waves/DSWT Sports Day; Right: Our new beehives

Sports Day reaches out to Tsavo schools

Community Outreach

With the help of our global friends, we are managing over 110,000 acres of land, home to numerous unique and endangered species. Our regular patrols by our Mamba Anti-Poaching Team, in partnership with KWS, have kept the threatened paradise of the Kibwezi Forest, the location of our third Elephant Reintegration Centre, poacher free all year. Once under threat from extensive illegal logging, illegal hunting and human-wildlife conflict we have now initiated sustainable management measures to keep this forest safe. Daily Anti-Poaching patrols as well as the construction and maintenance of electrically fenced boundaries have ensured the steady rehabilitation of the area whilst safeguarding the local communities and their livelihoods from wildlife damage. Importantly our management has brought the total number of

poaching incidences in the area to nil — an important achievement for wild elephants in the area and our new resident five orphans, Murera, Sonje, Quanza, Zongoloni and Lima Lima. All these orphans have now completely reintegrated into the area since their move in June 2014. They have even begun to meet wild elephants during the day, and a first for the group — meeting a big wild bull in late November 2014. These new friendships formed with wild elephants are a vital part of the long re-integration process of these precious young elephants back into the wild. Keeping the Kibwezi Forest poacher free has only been possible by collaborating with the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Wildlife Service and other organisations operating in the region, and of course with your support.

Saving

Habitats

Kibwezi Forest kept poacher free

Above and top right: Foliage in

Project Amu

The Tsavo Conservation Area is

Kenya’s largest wildlife refuge, harbouring the country’s largest

population of elephants and a greater bio-diversity of species than

any other conservation area in the world.

In order to protect the future of all

wildlife and biodiversity in the area, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

is taking huge steps to

safeguard unique and endangered

wild habitats by securing Public-Private partnerships with the

Kenya Forest Service and Community Group Ranches.

Areas managed by the DSWT

include, the Peregrine Conservation Area, the Kibwezi Forest, Amu

Ranch and the Witu Forest.

www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

P.O. Box 15555 Mbagathi,00503

Nairobi Kenya

[email protected]

+254 (0)733 891 996

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (UK)

2nd Floor, 3 Bridge Street

Leatherhead Surrey

KT22 8BL

[email protected]

+44 (0)1372 378 321

U.S. Friends of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

201 North Illinois Street

16th Floor—South Tower Indianapolis, IN 46204

USA

infous@sheldrickwildlifetrust,org

+1 (317) 610 3245

“All life has just one home - the earth - and we as the dominant species must take care of it.”

Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick DBE

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The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a non-profit organisation in Kenya and a registered charity in the UK.

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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s charitable mission can choose to make

tax-deductible contributions to US Friends of The David Sheldrick

Wildlife Trust, a US-based 501(c)(3) organization that supports the Trust's mission and projects.

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