USF Contributors Report 2015

U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife TrustReport to Contributors: Financial Support to DSWT, 2005-2014

U.S. Friends of

The David Sheldrick Wildl

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U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Report to Contributors 2 Financial Support to DSWT 2005-2014

The extraordinary career of David Leslie William Sheldrick, MBE, the founding Warden of Kenyas giant Tsavo National Park, was cut short by his untimely death in 1977. Nevertheless, he is remembered as one of Africas most accomplished Park Wardens. David Sheldricks legacy lives on in the work of his widow Daphne, an internationally recognized authority on the hand-rearing of wild creatures, the unceasing work of his daughter Angela, now CEO of DSWT and the around-the-clock efforts of the staff.

Since Davids death, Daphne and her family have lived and worked in Nairobi National Park and built the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) into a global force for wildlife conservation. Achieving successes that would have been incomprehensible even a few years ago, DSWT has made lasting contributions to the preservation of endangered species and habitats.

For over a quarter century, Davids wife, Daphne, working alongside him, hand-raised and rehabilitated numerous wild species. The wildlife conservation work of Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, D.B.E., has now spanned a lifetime. She is a recognized international authority on the hand-rearing and rehabilitation of wild creatures. She perfected the milk formula and husbandry methods required to enable milk-dependent orphaned elephants and rhinos to survive and thrive.

In Memory of David Sheldrick

All photographs reproduced with permission of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. 2015. All Rights Reserved.


The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that complement the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing vet-erinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in the wild when grown.

Mission of the David Sheldrick

Wildlife Trust

Somalia

KENYA

Uganda

TanzaniaIndianOcean

Ethiopia

The front line, hands-on work of DSWT covers thousands of square miles.

Directed from Headquarters in Nairobi and Kaluku, located in the Tsavo Conservation Area, the men and women of the DSWT work

tirelessly to carry out the mission.

Programs of the DSWT

Nairobi HQNairobi Nursery

Masai Mara MobileVeterinary Unit

Meru MobileVeterinary Unit

Kibwezi Forest Conservation Area

Peregrine Conservation Area

IthumbaReintegration

Unit

Kaluku HQAmu Conservation Areaand Witu Forrest

Voi Reintegration Unit &Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit

Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit

Umani Springs ReintergrationUnit for Disabled Orphans

U

.S. Friends of the David Sheldrick W

ildlife Trust and The David Sheldrick W

ildlife Trust. All Rights Reserved

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Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary, Shimba Hills


The U.S. Friends of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (USF) is committed to the mission of supporting the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) through financial support, educational outreach and public awareness initiatives that promote wildlife conservation in Kenya.

From its founding in 2004 as a volunteer-based charity, USF has expanded its capabilities through the addition of four staff positions while retaining its volunteer Board of Directors.

USF is a Section 501(c)(3) public charity whose charitable purpose includes supporting programs and initiatives of the DSWT. Contributions made to the USF are tax-deductible as provided by law and are managed by its Board of Directors and disbursed at the Boards discretion to further the USFs charitable purpose. To support the DSWTs programs, USF seeks to raisefrom existing and new contributorsgifts, grants, contributions and bequests. Contributors consist of individuals, corporations, private foundations and public charities. All financial support of the DSWT by USF consists of grants made against written applications. All grants are approved by the Board of Directors and are the subject of written grant agreements with the DSWT which require proof of expenditure.

About the U.S. Friends of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

U.S. Friends of


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USF Grants to DSWT, 2005-2014

US Dollars

1,800,000

1,600,000

1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

02005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014

$215,514$301,990

$422,667$518,508

$610,291

2013

$1,647,345

$123,589

$354,713

$552,344

$1,344,284

USF support of the DSWTs conservation programs has steadily increasedfrom $123,589 in 2005 to $1,334,284 in 2014 for a total of $6,091,245.

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At the heart of the DSWTs conservation efforts is the Orphans Project, which has received worldwide acclaim through its highly successful elephant and rhino rescue and rehabilitation program.

To date, the DSWT has rescued and hand-reared over 190 baby elephants and 14 black rhinos who were made orphans due to poaching, human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss, drought, or the separation from or the natural deaths of their mothers. To support this vital program that offers the opportunity of a second chance to these orphans, USF has made yearly grants to fund the cost of specialist formula milk, food, veterinary services, medicines, medical equipment, motor vehicle fuel, and Orphan Keeper salaries. In addition to these most basic needs, USF has funded construction costs for the reintegration facility at Ithumba (Tsavo Northern Area) and the renovation of the Orphan Stockades at Voi in Tsavo. USF has further funded numerous upgrades to the facilities in the Nairobi Nursery. In 2014, USF funded the acquisition of transport and utility vehicles for use at the Ithumba stockades and the Nairobi Nursery.

ORPHANS PROJECT

Since 2005, USF has made 72 grants totaling $1,945,472 in support of

the DSWTs Orphans Project.

USF Orphan Project Grants, 2005-2014

US Dollars

450,000

400,000

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

02005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014

$67,148

$193,408$158,971

$209,425$245,189

$384,448

$75,619$104,740

$321,570

2013

$184,954

ORPHAN MURIT AT RESCUE SITE

MILK PREP

With orphans being rescued throughout Kenya, reliable ground and air support is imperative.

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Keepers preparing one of several milk feedings given throughout the day and night. A young nursery orphan can drink up to 4 gallons of milk per day.

ANTI-POACHING PROJECT


USF Anti-Poaching Project Grants, 2005-2014

US Dollars

1,100,0001,000,000900,000800,000700,000600,000500,000400,000300,000200,000100,000

02005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

$53,721$17,738 $43,276

$77,851 $43,351 $12,502

$251,538$335,506

2014

$781,896

$1,082,790

The DSWT is on the front line of the battle to save the African elephant and rhino. It currently deploys nine anti-poaching teams in concert with the KWS. Eight of those units are based within the Tsavo Conservation Area, with the ninth, and most recent-ly established, operating in Meru National Park. On the horizon is the implementation of the 10th anti-poaching unit to support the Shompole-Lake ecosystem. Every team member completes training at the KWS Manyani Academy, where they undergo an in-tense three-month paramilitary course which includes human-wildlife conflict and mit-igation measures, ecology and ecosystem management, capture and arrest methods, weaponry, field survival and GPS mapping.

The DSWT anti-poaching teams have radio-equipped off-road vehicles, camping gear, GPS units and cameras. Thanks in large measure to the generosity of U.S. donors, their efforts are supported through aerial surveillance by four aircraft and one helicopter piloted by employees of the DSWT and by a motorized Rapid Response Unit comprised of KWS Rangers. This specialized support has enabled the DSWT to dramatically increase the effectiveness of its anti-poaching campaign. The acquisition of the MD 500E helicopter in 2014 revolutionized the teams ability to rapidly and effectively respond to reports of poaching activities in remote areas where the terrain can impede a quick response by ground units. Looking to 2015, the teams will be supported by a specialist Canine Unit with trained tracker dogs and their handlers to compliment the security measures already in place within Tsavo and in partnership with the KWS.

Since 2005, USF has made 46 grants totaling $2,700,169 in support of the Anti-Poaching Project.

Aerial reconnaissance is a vital tool in the effective prevention of illegal activities, increasing security and generating data required to protect the vast Tsavo Conservation Area. With data from the field, the DSWT, utilizing a sophisticated data base, captures vital trends in illegal activities as well as wildlife trends. This data is used by the KWS and the scientific community.

Illegal trade in wildlife has become a sophisticated transnational form of crimedriven by rising demand, and is often facilitated by corruption and weak governance. Illegal wildlife trade undermines the rule of law and threatens national securityGetting serious about wildlife crime means enrolling the support of all sections of societyI urge all consumers, suppliers and governments to treat crimes against wildlife as a threat to our sustainable future. Its time to get serious about wildlife crime. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, Message on World Wildlife Day March 3, 2015

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The DSWT, in concert with the KWS, and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) manages and protects Kenyas wildlife and habitats through many projects, including electric solar-powered fence lines, infra- structure, the development of water resources, and acquisition and protection of wild habitat areas.

Human settlement, cattle grazing and agricultural development are encroaching into wildlife habitats, disrupting migration routes and violating protected boundaries. The use of solar-powered electric fencing of protected boundaries has become a critical part of wildlife conservation in Kenya. Since 2007, the DSWT has erected and maintained approximately 110 kilometers (68 miles) of fence lines in Tsavo East National Park (solar-powered electric), the Kibwezi Forest (solar-powered electric) and Chyulu National Park. These costs have been funded almost exclusively by USF. The fence lines have proven critical to not only protecting boundaries without disrupting migratory routes, but in preventing incursions into populated areas by elephants and other large species.

DSWT likewise establishes and maintains wells and windmills to address the prolonged droughts which plague the Tsavo Conservation Area.

To protect the future of wildlife and biodiversity, in partnership with the KFS and community groups, the DSWT has saved and taken responsibility for managing and protecting unique and endangered wild habitats. These areas include the Tsavo Conservation Area (Kenyas largest wildlife refuge), Kibwezi Forest (23 square miles), Amu Conservation Area (60,000 acres) and, most recently the Witu Forest Reserve (14,000 acres). In early 2014, DSWT supported the Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary in the Shimba Hills to protect the threatened wildlife and ecosystem of the area, which is home to a herd of some 500 elephants.

With the continued pressure on habitats, their conservation and protection through land acquisition and management is an ever-increasing area of focus for the DSWT as it looks to secure the future for Kenyas wildlife.

WILDLIFE AND HABITAT PROTECTION

THE WITU FOREST RESERVE, which is adjacent to the Amu Conservation Area, consists of over 14,000 acres of indigenous forest and a vital biodiversity reservoir forming part of an important elephant migratory corridor between the Dodori National Reserve, Amu Ranch and the Kipini Conservancy.

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Since 2007, USF has made 19 grants totaling $1,143,136 to DSWT for Wildlife and Habitat Protection.

USF Wildlife & Habitat Protection Grants, 2005-2014

US Dollars

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 201300

$134,340

$6,357

$134,127$121,558

$283,134

$112,098

$193,372

2014

$158,150


WILDLIFE AND HABITAT PROTECTION

U.S. Friends of the D

avid Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and The D

avid Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. A

ll Rights Reserved.

Some of the diverse wildlife being protected through Project Amu. Amu Ranch is home to the largest herds of giraffe in Kenya.

Kibwezi forest Unami Springs rehabilitation unit completed in 2014. The temperate environment provides ideal surroundings for the physically com-promised orphans to continue their reintegration into the wild.

With continued support, the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary has a chance to remain a spectacular forest environment with a healthy wildlife population and low poaching incidents.

The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary in Shimba Hills provides a home to some 500 elephants.


DSWT, in partnership with the KWS, operates four full time Mobile Veterinary Units in the Tsavo Conservation Area, the Massai Mara Reserve, Meru, and Amboseli National Parks.

The Sky Vets Program, launched in April 2013, has proven a great addition to the mobile veterinary units. Since its inception, Sky Vets has responded to over 80 emergency wildlife cases, deploying vet teams more quickly and to locations inaccessible by land vehicles. 2014 saw the addition of a McDonnel- Douglas 500E helicopter to the program. This highly maneuverable aircraft has made a significant im-pact on the Vet Units ability to quickly respond, medically evaluate, and treat injured animals. It has also added an increased level of safety to those teams on the ground as well as the animals being treated.

The Mobile Veterinary Units and Sky Vets are dedicated to alleviating the human-imposed suffering of wildlife. All units are equipped with customized vehicles and the medicine and equipment necessary to enable the KWS to rapidly respond to veterinary emergencies. Since inception, the Mobile Veterinary Units and the Sky Vets Program have saved the lives of over 3,800 wild elephants and other species, including lions, giraffes, all indigenous species of antelope, leopards, cheetah, hippos and buffalos.

Although the Mobile Veterinary Units have been funded principally by organizations outside the U.S., the USF has provided supplemental financial support and all funding for the Sky Vets Program.

MOBILE VETERINARY UNITS AND THE SKY VETS PROGRAM

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Mobile Vet Units treating injured elephants in the field.

USF Mobile Vet Unit & Sky Vet Program Grants, 2005-2014

US Dollars

200,000

175,000

150,000

125,000

100,000

75,000

50,000

25,000

02005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

$2,720 $4,368$18,126

$8,3570 0 0 0

$186,229

2014

$82,666


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Your gifts have enabled USF to provide a steadily increasing level of financial support for the programs of the DSWT. When you make a tax deductible gift to the USF, you make an important contribution to wildlife conservation. Below are some of the ways to provide support.

Contributions & Gifts One time or recurring monthly contributions

Gifts in honor or in memoriam

Corporate matching gift programs

Lifetime gifts Charitable Trust gifts Charitable Lead Trust gifts

Estates Last will and testaments Life insurance gifts

To learn more, please call us at 317-610-3245, email us at [email protected], or visit us online at www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/howtodonate/USA

Only the commitment of contributors like you makes this work possible.

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The nursery herd heading to the stockades after a day in the bush.

Sonje taking a dust bath near the reintegration unit at Umani Springs in the Kibwezi Forest.

From its founding, the USF has worked to minimize its overhead with the aim of maximizing grants to the DSWT while providing outstanding service to supporters. We focus our efforts on communication with:

Frequent editions of our electronic newsletter

Providing information directly to donors, by telephone, email and written correspondence, regarding developments at DSWT

Board of DirectorsR. Brian Miller Stephen D. SmithPresident Vice PresidentCarmel, IN Hilton Head, SC

Angela Godinho Marilyn H. MarchettiTreasurer SecretaryMiami Beach, FL Western Springs, IL Jackie Cittone-Magid Anne EiseleNew York, NY Milwaukee, WI Drew Fellman Jack V. RobertsonVenice, CA Venice, FL

Officers & StaffMelissa Sciacca Nancy HattabaughExecutive Director Operations ManagerCalifornia Indiana

Debbie MacCarter Angie SmithDonor Relations Associate Communications SpecialistCalifornia Indiana

THE USF TEAM


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On April 15, 2015, DSWT lost a beloved senior member of staff; USF and many U.S. based supporters of DSWT lost a great friend. Lionel Nutter was, for those U.S. based supporters of DSWT fortunate to safari to the Trusts facilities in the Tsavo Conservation Area, a friend, a guide, a men-tor and a companion. Throughout the last nine years, he was the human face of the Trust in Tsavo. As many supporters know, the enjoyment and downright fun of a trip to Tsavo would invariably begin as soon as the plane touched down, where Lionel, standing by his Land Rover, was ready to take on, put up with, educate, protect and entertain us for our entire safari. The adventure did not end until the plane lifted us off from the airstrip with Lionel waving goodbye from below. His knowledge of bush craft, wildlife, the history of the area dating to David and Daphnes time in Tsavo, to the present day, made every trip an adventure.

Endowed with a remarkable sense of humor, Lionel was a one-of-a-kind man who deeply loved Kenya and cared for its wildlife, especially the orphans. He led an extraordinary lifeas a successful safari guide, lodge manager, farmer and, for the last nine years, manager of the Trusts many operations in Tsavo. He was admired and respected by all who worked with him, which was no small feat in the rough and tumble world in which he lived and worked. As the senior representative of the DSWT in the Tsavo Conservation Area, an area larger than the country of Israel, he was the personification of all the Trust stands for. He was widely known and respected as a man of honor whose word was his bond. Many will remember Lionel best for his marvelous sense of humor and fascinating tales of life in the bush.

Our lives are in a constant state of change, some of it painful, including the loss of those who truly affect us and the way we view the world. However, for as long as many of us live, we will cherish our memories of Nuts, his achievements on behalf of the DSWT and Kenyas wildlife. He was irreplaceable and will be truly missed.

Lionel P. Nutter 1951-2015

A Special Dedication to Lionel Nutter

USF Contributors Report 2015

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