SWT Aerial Surveillance Unit Report | April 2024

APRIL 2024

Aerial Unit Monthly Report

Operated in support of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Aerial Unit monitors for illegal activity from the skies and offers rapid response assistance in anti-poaching operations, human-wildlife conict, veterinary treatments, orphan rescues, and all manner of eld emergencies.

This report details Aerial Unit activities for April 2024

MONTH AT A GLANCE:

27,678

Hours own:

214

Kilometres own:

27,441

Tsavo East and West, South Kitui NR, KARI, Kuranze, Galana, Kulalu, Mbulia and Kishushe Ranches, Shimba Hills and Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary Areas patrolled:

April was a relatively quiet month. There was no major change in the status of illegal livestock in the parks; however, the general trend is still positive, especially compared to previous years. There was a fairly signicant livestock incursion in southern Tsavo West, but a rapid response from KWS improved the situation signicantly before the end of the month

Similarly, a sizeable incursion was detected during aerial surveillance of the eastern boundary of Tsavo East and quickly addressed by KWS rangers on the ground By the end of the month, all livestock had been successfully removed from the area. The majority of areas in Tsavo and Chyulu Hills National Parks that historically suffered from illegal livestock are now nearly livestock-free.

APRIL PATROL MAP:

Charcoal burning continues to be a major challenge to buffer areas around the parks. Whereas only two charcoal kilns were detected inside the parks, there was an uptick in charcoal production observed on ranches and in South Kitui National Reserve, bordering the park Even on KARI Ranch, which has been under control for several months, 20 recently harvested charcoal kilns were found, along with one active kiln On South Kitui National Reserve, two very large commercial charcoaling operations were discovered, which led to dozens of arrests by ground teams. This only emphasises the need for regular aerial patrols, across this landscape, as even conspicuous illegal activities can go undetected for weeks or even months with only sporadic patrolling

Illegal mining is an activity which can be surprisingly difcult to detect, due to the abundance of old, disused mines, which are often indistinguishable from fresh mines However, one of our pilots did manage to spot some fresh mining activity and a nearby harbour with a still-burning campre A team was dropped near the location, and tracks were followed to an even larger harbour where a signicant amount of equipment was either destroyed of conscated. Unfortunately, no arrests were made on this occasion.

With regards to poaching, only one instance of active poaching activity was observed during aerial patrols in April, which was that of a poachers’ camp on Kishushe Ranch being used by lampers. Old activity noted included multiple makeshift beds in hollowed out baobabs as well as two old poachers’ harbours

Only two adult elephant carcasses were observed in April, one which was over a month old and another approximately one week old. In both instances, ivory was recovered by KWS, and the cause of death is assumed to be natural It bears repeating how incredible it is how infrequently our teams now discover poached elephants In 20122013, poached elephant carcasses were discovered on a weekly if not daily basis. Now our pilots, with much greater effort in terms of hours own, often go for months without discovering any poached elephants.

Only one injured animal was sighted during aerial patrols and attended to by the KWS/SWT Tsavo Mobile Vet and his team on the ground. One of our pilots spotted a bull elephant with a large swelling around the genitals. Prognosis after treatment was good

Two other elephant rescues included a young elephant stuck in a muddy water drainage beside a road in Tsavo West and another even younger elephant that had fallen into a water lled mine on Kuranze Ranch to the south. In both instances, our helicopter ew to the scene with critical equipment and assisted the ground operation The Kuranze case was one of our most dramatic and hair-raising rescue operations to date. You can read more about this story here.

Although the re season has not truly begun, our teams did battle with one very large re in Tsavo East, presumably set by herders near the boundary of the park.

With a quick response and assistance from our helicopter, teams were deployed rapidly to the site and after ghting the ames for most of the day, they were able to extinguish the re, but not before it sadly burnt several thousand acres of grassland.

The Aerial Unit, as with all Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's conservation projects, is a donorfunded initiative Thank you to our global supporters, who help us secure Kenya's habitats for the future and make an impact in the eld, each and every day