AERIAL SURVEILLANCE UNIT MONTHLY REPORT
FEBRUARY 2022
AERIAL STATISTICS
FEBRUARY 2022
208 HOURS FLOWN
26,921 KMS COVERED
AREAS PATROLLED
TE, TW, Chyulus, Galana Ranch, Kulalu Ranch, Garissa, South Kitui National Reserve, Shimba, Mwaluganje, Dol Dol, Kasigau Ranch
FEBRUARY 2022
MONTHLY AERIAL PATROL MAP
MONTHLY AERIAL SUMMARY February marked an earlier than normal increase in illegal activity in Tsavo. Significant airtime was dedicated to assisting KWS with tackling the illegal livestock incursions. KWS has done an excellent job of repelling livestock out of most of Tsavo East and West during a time when livestock numbers are generally on the rise. An indication that poaching and Human-Wildlife Conflict is on the rise, was a slight uptick in the number of veterinary cases assisted by the airwing during the month. Although one search for an injured bull elephant with a suspected arrow wound was unsuccessful, the lives of two other bull elephants near Kasigau were saved. Initially sighted by Wildlife Works pilot, Keith Hellyer, both animals were successfully darted from the SWT helicopter and treated for deep penetrating wounds in their feet by the Tsavo KWS/SWT Mobile Vet. The injuries are presumed to have been caused by spike or spear traps set along busy wildlife paths. Another elephant was sighted during a routine patrol closer to the SWT base with a severe limp. After darting the elephant from a helicopter, the vet was unable to find an external wound that might be responsible and concluded that the elephant must be suffering from an internal fracture or strain (possibly from a fight with another bull), however the elephant’s prognosis is good. Further afield, our team also flew to Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary to try and locate a lion that had strayed into the Shimba Hills eco-system and is posing a threat to the fragile Sable antelope population there. Unfortunately, an exhaustive search was unsuccessful.
In the northern area of Tsavo East, two instances of suspected bushmeat and/or elephant poachers were discovered. In the first case, a suspect was sighted and pursued; however, upon landing to drop off rangers for an arrest, the suspect evaded detection. Despite returning with another aircraft and the K9 Unit, the suspect was unable to be found given he had backtracked so much with the rangers in pursuit that it became impossible to work with the tracks. He did, however, leave an abundance of tracks leading the team to 50 snares, 2 bows, a number of poisoned arrows (intended for elephants), and another set of tracks. Following patrols confirmed the two suspects left the park, so while it is frustrating to have not scored an arrest, we are nevertheless satisfied that an active poaching operation was thwarted. Slightly further south, another helicopter patrol uncovered a second pair of tracks of suspected poachers. Intensive ground and air patrols continue in the area. Fortunately, no carcasses of poached elephants were found in February, although two older carcasses, presumed natural deaths, were sighted during aerial patrols and their ivory was recovered. Similarly, no orphaned elephants were rescued in Tsavo during the month; however, our helicopter pilot was called to airlift an orphaned elephant to our Nairobi HQ from Dol Dol in the north of Kenya. There has been a rash of orphans in that part of the country, their mothers likely the victims of Human Elephant Conflict (HEC). HEC remains a problem in Tsavo, and our helicopter was called out on 5 occasions to push elephants back into the park. One of these attempts was unsuccessful, however, another elephant that was pushed on two occasions by the helicopter, was later coaxed with water through a nearby gate back into the Kibwezi Forest.
While not often encountered, two cases of illegal fishing were interrupted by helicopter patrols. The first was a group of 5 suspects that were sighted during a patrol who immediately fled, dropping a sack full of fish. The second instance was the discovery of 2 large fishing nets (300 metres each) and 4 canoes being used to illegally fish in Lake Jipe within Tsavo West National Park. KWS returned on the ground to confiscate the nets. Charcoal activity was absent within the park, however there was a dramatic increase in charcoal activity on Galana Ranch, especially in the northwest. For example, on one patrol alone, our pilot observed 59 actively burning charcoal kilns, 62 kilns in preparation, 32 camps and over 1000 sacks of charcoal ready for collection. Sadly, this kind of industrial scale charcoal burning is becoming more and more common in Kenya and is destroying thousands of acres of fragile acacia woodland. Charcoal camps on Galana are also responsible for an increase in bush meat poaching. During February 4 SWT antipoaching teams operated between Kulalu and Galana and were actively patrolling, de-snaring and laying ambushes throughout the month thwarting the poaching threat whilst supported by aerial coverage. Towards the end of the month a two day ambush exercise on Galana near Geoffrey’s Dam yielded multiple successful arrests. The scale of the bushmeat haul was staggering for all there, and for the authorities too especially when one considers this happens multiple times every night throughout most of the month. In one 24 hour period eight motor bikes were confiscated in three different operations, whilst four people were arrested with 142 dikdik carcasses, 2 kudu, 3 gerenuk, 1 warthog, 2 hares, and 3 bustards. The poachers were all from the Giriama tribe who were using the lamping method.
Although out of season, the team did respond to the first fire of the year near Ithumba. Thought to have been caused by a honey harvester, the fire burned for two days and burned more than 350 acres before being put out completely. On a positive note there was a notable increase in wild dog sightings with up to 22 seen in one pack on the same day as well as two leopards by the same pilot. Recently our pilots have also been encouraged by the return of large herds of plains game along the Galana River, with up to 3 herds of over 100 oryx being seen on a particular flight down the river and many hundreds of zebra.
Photographs copyright © 2022 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust