AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT
APRIL 2013
AERIAL STATISTICS
APRIL 2013
HOURS FLOWN
77.1
MILES COVERED
6621
AREAS PATROLLED Northern area of Tsavo East NP, the Triangle, and the Voi area, with one day spent in Tsavo West NP
APRIL 2013
MONTHLY AERIAL ROUTES
16 days were spent carrying out aerial patrols across the northern area of TENP, the Triangle, and the Voi area, with one day spent in TWNP, with a total of 47.1 hours flown on patrol and 3767 miles covered. Three days were spent assisting in an aerial census of the Amboseli Ecosystem, where 30 hours were flown covering 2854 miles. A very successful count with the official figures being released in June 2013.
APRIL 2013
MONTHLY FLYING SYNOPSIS
The focus this month was on the Ithumba and Triangle area, where the rains have filled all the waterholes and the elephant have been widely dispersed. The main threat observed this month has been a high number of shooting blinds and shooting platforms targeting elephants around the waterholes. No elephant carcasses have been sighted, although one baby elephant of around 9 months was seen from the air and rescued by one of the DSWT ground teams. One elephant was sighted with an arrow wound near P4, but after two attempts to get a vet to him, and four days of flying, he disappeared.
Other notable wildlife sightings have included lion, aardwolves, and a leopard, along with many giraffe and kudu. The Athi River has been in flood, reaching the highest levels for a long time. On the ground two elephant poachers were captured after follow–up of shooting blinds spotted from the air. They were transported to Voi for sentencing. The ground teams have also destroyed a large number of shooting blinds, shooting platforms and charcoal kilns.
Reported by Nick Trent Field Operations Manager, DSWT Photographs copyright Š 2013 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust