The David Sheldrick
WILDLIFE TRUST
Newsletter 2014
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Table of Contents
An Overview of 2014 - By Angela Sheldrick
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A letter from Daphne
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The Orphans’ Project
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The Nursery Nursery arrivals & their rescue stories 2014 Nursery Deaths The Voi Unit The Story of Emily’s New Baby Emma
7-8 9 - 13 17 18 - 22 24 - 25
The Ithumba Unit
26 - 33
The Umani Unit
34 - 39
The Orphaned Rhinos
40
The Other Orphans
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Veterinary Units
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Amboseli Vet Unit Launched Mobile Veterinary notes from the field - Dr. Njoroge Sky Vet Program
Anti-Poaching The New Yatta Team The New KWS/DSWT Canine Unit to be launched
Aerial Surveillance A Helicopter joins the DSWT team The Tsavo Mkomazi Aerial Census Field notes from helicopter pilot - Humphrey Carter
Saving Habitats Kibwezi Forest Project Amu/Witu Saving the Witu Forest Reserve Peregrine Conservation Area The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary Shimba Hills
42 43 43
47 - 49 47 49
52 - 59 52 53 56
60 - 70 60 67 - 71 70 71 71
Tourism & Eco-lodges
74
Additional Support for KWS
74
Communities & Education
75 - 79
Elephants & Ivory (campaigning)
80 - 81
Special Thanks
84
Contact Us
85
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Angela Sheldrick with the Nursery herd
Overview of 2014
By Angela Sheldrick
2014 has been a very anxious year for us personally with Daphne so ill. This of course had the whole DSWT team extremely concerned and much time was monopolized in hospitals both here and in South Africa. To be through this ordeal is nothing short of a miracle and it is wonderful to see Daphne almost back to her old self. On the front line of conservation things in 2014 have been challenging, but with a very positive working relationship with the Kenya Wildlife Service the Trust has been well positioned to make a tangible difference at a field level. This Newsletter will highlight many of our achievements in 2014 of which we are extremely proud. It goes without saying that none of what we do would be possible without the enormous global support we enjoy and of course our remarkable DSWT teams both here in Kenya and in the UK and USA respectively. Rob Brandford Executive Director of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the UK along with his dynamic UK based team work tirelessly on the Trust’s iworry campaign, our social media platforms, and coming up with brilliant fundraising initiatives, all the while supporting the work on the ground. Our US Friends of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a 501 ( c) (3) is ably guided by an extremely capable and impassioned board of Trustees headed by President Brian Miller and Vice President and Founder Stephen Smith. Recently and luckily for us a new Executive Director, Melissa Sciacca, joined the U.S.FDSWT fold in September and thanks to the support of our US Friends we have been able to tackle ever more ambitious projects. To our Patron Kristin Davis whose commitment continues to inspire and galvanize many. Thank you Kristin, we are lucky to have you champion our cause and highlight the plight of elephants and rhinos around the globe. There are many unsung heroes who make the Trust what it is today and these include my husband Robert Carr-Hartley whose steady capable way creates calm in his wake, and my children Taru and Roan, the next generation and the Trust’s future. The dedicated worker bees at Nairobi HQ led by Lina Sideras, my right hand, along with an able accounts department with Rajesh, Charles and George working long hours. A Works department headed by James who keeps our wheels turning for extraordinary men who work tirelessly in the toughest conditions risking life and limb in the process, the men that make up our Anti Poaching teams, whose leaders keep enthusiasm and morale high and whose work saves literally hundreds of animals lives every year. To the DSWT pilots and men who support our ground operations, who fly ridiculously grueling hours on the conservation front lines throughout the Tsavo Ecosystem. Special thanks to pilots Nick Trent, Neville Sheldrick and Humphrey Carter and Field Manager Lionel Nutter. To the KWS Vets seconded to our Mobile Veterinary teams who save animals lives, in very dangerous circumstances much of the time, but whose work is filled with happy endings, and to the men whose initiative and hard work spearheads our growing Saving Habitat program. Last but not least our famous elephant Keepers whose love and commitment ensure that this remarkable project remains successful and unique. To Head Keepers Edwin Lusichi, Benjamin Kyalo, Joseph Sauni and Philip Okonde who work closely with an extraordinary team of men, whose enthusiasm and passion for their work is humbling. I would like to thank you all for your dedication to the Trust’s mission and may 2015 be a better year on the conservation stage, particularly for elephants and rhinos as we all continue to work towards ‘making a difference’.
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
A Letter from Daphne
When I woke to the new year of 2014 I mulled over the fact that this would be the year when my age would take that quantum leap from being seventy something to turning 80 – on the Home Stretch as my brother often said. This seemed a somewhat daunting thought mainly because in reality I felt no different to when I was in my 20’s! Nevertheless I looked forward to spending my 80th Birthday among my close immediate family and friends and also amongst our orphan elephant family currently in the process of rehabilitation back amongst their own kind in the giant Tsavo National Park. Nevertheless circumstances were to dictate otherwise. Following a friendly trunk hug round my neck from one of our nursery elephants which pinched a nerve and inhibited breathing, I succumbed to Pneumonia, which then became Empyema (life threatening sepsis of the pleural cavity) which laid me low in hospital for the next two months. Nor did it end there because the lung infection spread to my spine and literally “ate” one of my vertebrae, T12. This led to a major back operation in South Africa whereby the osteomyelitis tumor was removed and my damaged vertebra rebuilt, with two others fused above and below to stabilize it all. I continue to make a remarkable recovery and it was indeed a red letter day when I was able to enjoy a game drive in Nairobi National Park with my grandson Taru at the wheel. Of course I owe most grateful thanks to all who have helped me heal, not least the doctors of the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi and those that operated on my back in South Africa, as well as the enormous support I have enjoyed from my close family and friends around the world. Without them I would not be around today.
Angela Sheldrick, Kithaka and Dame Daphne Sheldrick
Robert Carr-Hartley with Nasalot
Now I look forward to large chunks of 2015 spent in Tsavo while I continue to regain my strength, and particularly in Ithumba with the orphaned elephants where we can also touch base with all the ex-orphans now living wild, as well as their wild born babies and their wild friends. I am mobile again and each day brings subtle signs of improvement. It has been a difficult year indeed but I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters around the world for their steadfast support of both the Trust and me personally.
Warmly, Daphne
DSWT Patron Kristin Davis with Zurura - Ithumba
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Ndotto with Nursery Head keeper Edwin and Julius
The Orphans’ Project 6
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
The Nursery Unit 2014 was a very busy year at the Nairobi Nursery, ending with 31 orphan elephants, the two rhinos Maxwell and Solio, a baby giraffe and two ostriches under our care. The stockades are full to bursting despite the relocation of 10 of our charges to Tsavo East National Park and the Kibwezi Forest. Throughout the year we have carried out the rescues of 27 orphaned elephants, fifteen of these wonderful babies are still with us, although sadly many came in too far gone to save or later succumbed to illnesses that they were unable to overcome despite our best efforts and treatments. Life at the Nursery usually follows a fairly regular daily routine. The orphans are up at 6am for their first morning feed and straight out into the bush where they browse and have their second feed at about 9am. The next feed is at the mud bath where they frolic and play to the delight of our visitors before they go back out into the bush where they spend the rest of the day. Friday is coconut oiling day which most of the orphans love except Rorogoi, Oltaiyoni, Ngasha, Arruba and little Kamok and Mbegu, as they try to hide and escape the oiling but afterwards all the elephants delight in mud and dust bathing with renewed playful energy. The keepers help the little ones, scooping shovels of fresh earth over them as their tiny trunks can only pick up small amounts of soil. Special events, such as Daphne’s 80th birthday on 4th June, had little effect on the orphans’ daily routine, although their human family all enjoyed a feast in her honour and a share of birthday cake following the 3pm orphans’ bottle feed. Even the Global March for Elephants, held on the 4th of October, had little impact on the elephants, other than to provide a plethora of new toys in the form of banners and placards, which were eagerly destroyed to the amusement of all involved. Acts of nature are much more likely to disrupt; an hour long thunderstorm with hefty hailstones in June sent the orphans scattering in distress trumpeting loudly. It took a couple of hours to search for them all and it was a great relief to have everyone safely back before dark. Encounters with other animals can also send the orphans into a frenzy; on one occasion Kithaka, whilst browsing a little way from the others, disturbed a huge python which scared him witless as it suddenly unravelled itself. This triggered a mass bushbashing display by the others which took the keepers a while to bring under control. Lions also cause great excitement, with trumpeting, ear waggling and mock charges whilst the keepers try to keep the orphans at a safe distance. The keepers accompanying the infant orphans have taken to wearing Masai shukas (red blankets) to keep the lions at bay - Masai moran (warriors) are the lions traditional enemy and lions recognise the red shuka as a danger sign. Even our beloved rhino Solio managed to give the orphans a big fright when they unwittingly encroached on her territory. Unimpressed at being rudely woken she charged through the bushes huffing and puffing causing the orphans to dash back to find safety with the keepers. The impending relocation of 11 of the older orphans to Tsavo and the Kibwezi Forest for the second stage of their rehabilitation necessitated a slight change in the targeted elephants’ routines. They were encouraged to take their milk on the elephant mover truck in the hope that they would become familiar with it, facilitating a calm and easy move. This strategy worked well for Bomani and Orwa although Teleki took a little more convincing, yet all three made the journey to Ithumba at the end of May where they have settled in well. The second group, Vuria, Garzi and Ziwa, also coped well with
a move to Ithumba in June, although subsequently Ziwa became unwell and had to return to the Nursery for intensive treatment. Five other orphans; Murera, Sonje, Quanza, Zongoloni and Lima Lima ventured off to our brand new third rehabilitation unit at Umani Springs in the Kibwezi Forest. Here they will have plenty of browse, water and access to wild elephants all within easy reach for Murera and Sonje, our two physically compromised elephants. Lima Lima was particularly impressed with her new surroundings and rushed about exploring with her infectious excitement quickly rubbing off on the others. The graduation of the older elephants left the younger ones a little subdued and gave rise to uncertainty over who would step into the matriarchal roles that, even at this young age, are still an important responsibility in our little herd. It now looks as if Arruba, Mashariki and Suswa will share this role as no single elephant has prevailed, although this may change with subsequent moves. The keepers at the Nursery also have an important role to play as they have to replace the elephant family, especially the matriarch who would keep the others safe and instil discipline. They do their best to replicate natural wild behaviour and will often separate an individual that has misbehaved for some time out. They have their work cut out sometimes especially with the ‘naughty boys’ led by Kithaka and Lemoyian. There is never a boring moment with Kithaka around as he sneaks his way behind visitors and film crews to give someone a crafty bump just to make his presence felt, or waves his trunk and climbs on his stable door to attract attention. The keepers have become adept at spotting his tricks, particularly at visiting time when they are especially vigilant, and diverting him to less troublesome antics. He is however a most lovable character, a favourite with keepers and visitors alike who are utterly taken with his friendly and mischievous nature. Unfortunately Kithaka’s loving had disastrous consequences for Dame Daphne as a friendly trunk hug caused a pinched nerve in her back which led to other complications eventually leading to hospitalisation and a long convalescence. Lemoyian is not quite such a troublemaker but often his wrestling matches with Kithaka come a little too close to the unsuspecting public and the keepers have to jump in and deflect them. Barsilinga is also often party to the wrestling games but unlike the others is always considerate of whoever might be in the way. He is much more sensible and gentle than these two, as can be seen when he helps to settle and look after some of the newer and younger orphans. Sokotei is also becoming one of the naughtier boys and Nelion’s confidence and mischievousness is growing in direct correlation to the extension of his tusks! Ngasha sometimes manages to keep things under control but often this job falls to the keepers. The move of the older elephants brought out the maternal characteristics of some of the younger females. Having been mothered and gently mentored themselves they are keen to pass on the love. Oltaiyoni became greatly interested in the babies especially Mbegu, who in turn passed on the mothering to little Ndotto. Mashariki, Lentili, Rorogoi, Suswa and especially Arruba also do their bit but the archetypal mother is new arrival Embu. Embu imparts an energy to which all the orphans respond, especially any newcomers. She particularly seemed to help Dupotto whose strange disruptive behaviour was indicative of post-traumatic stress, and also Enkikwe who learnt to trust his human family under her guidance. Lentili
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 however seems to lack any maternal instincts. She rarely plays with the babies having no patience with their clumsiness and playful nature and will even resort to giving them a hard push if they bump into her, something that always brings Arruba running in concern. No doubt Lentili will eventually develop a maternal nature and will one day take care of her own wild born babies, but for now she is quite happy being a baby herself and is in no hurry to grow up! In the group of the littlest orphans Kamok is the “mini matriarch” but she has also started to become rather mischievous. At visiting time she runs along the rope bumping into anyone within reach, especially the young African school children whose reaction never fails to delight and makes her feel very important and in control! The year has not been without sadness and worry. Baby elephants are incredibly fragile and often suffer periodic health issues when the keepers describe them as being “dull”. We watch them closely, taking and analysing blood samples with the assistance of local vets and treating them with antibiotics and immune boosters. Very little is known about the diseases that inflict elephants, but since they are so essentially “human” we believe they could share with us many of the same parasitic and viral problems. Sadly we are sometimes unable to discover the cause for the illness and therefore treat it effectively but we carry out post-mortems and continue to learn from each and every sad demise. The fact remains however that at the Nursery this year we have managed to save the lives of fifteen baby elephants, who would have had no chance in the wild, and ten more have been sent on their way towards eventual rehabilitation and reintegration into their natural habitat.
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Ziwa
Kauro
2014 Nursery Arrivals & Their Rescue Stories Male
Approximately 2 years on arrival
Date of arrival 8th January
Ziwa is a big, robust and very brave calf, but also gentle and loving. He was rescued from Amboseli National Park where he was gallantly protecting his sick mother (named “Zombe” by the Amboseli researchers) from hyenas as she lay dying at a waterhole. Zombe was beyond further help and was compassionately euthanized by the KWS vet before Ziwa was rescued and brought to the nursery. His name means ‘waterhole’ in deference to the place where he was found and his old life ended and a second chance began. Ziwa was relocated to Ithumba in June but fell ill and was returned to the nursery in September. He is now recovering well. Male
Approximately 1 month on arrival
Date of arrival 30th January
Kauro was rescued from Sera Conservancy in Northern Kenya. He had fallen into a pastoralist’s well where he became stuck and was at the mercy of predators, one of which attacked his tiny trunk removing the tip and causing painful damage. Luckily he was rescued before terminal damage was done, although he was very poorly for a while requiring extensive treatment before pulling through. He is a big baby, towering over the other infants despite his young age, but much loved by all because of his social nature. He has formed a special friendship with Ashaka, a bond that will last a lifetime.
Sokotei
Male
Approximately 6 months on arrival
Date of arrival 11th April
Sokotei is the son of Cherie, an elephant from the family named ‘First Ladies’ by Save the Elephants in Samburu. Cherie died from a twisted gut leaving a heartbroken Sokotei to mourn her passing. During his capture he led the rescue team a merry dance through the thick ‘sokotei’ bush, where they had to dodge wild bull elephants, before overpowering him and returning him to the nursery. He took great solace from the presence of the other elephants, going out into the bush with them the very next day. Little Sokotei has grown into a cheeky, greedy little chap who loves his milk feeds and even sneaks off to try and get an extra bottle!
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Mbegu
Female
Approximately 7 weeks on arrival
Date of arrival 15th May
Mbegu’s rescue was a very complicated affair. Her mother had killed a woman from the Naibunga Conservancy community in Northern Kenya and had consequently been shot by KWS Rangers. The community were not content with this and also sought vengeance on her tiny calf; stoning, spearing and wanting to kill her. We had to negotiate hard for her rescue and release before she could be saved and brought back to the nursery. Despite her trauma Mbegu bounced back quickly and is now a very happy little elephant, full of play and nonsense, who loves her keepers and her elephant friends. Keeper Mishak named her Mbegu, which means ‘seed’ in Swahili.
Mbegu is kept in a classroom until the DSWT rescue team arrived.
Murit
Male Approximately 7 weeks on arrival
Date of arrival 10th July
Murit is a gentle, quiet, calm and polite little bull whose name means “where two rivers meet” in Samburu. He was trapped down a well where he surprised a local herdsman visiting to water his animals. Battered and bruised Murit was quickly rescued but suffered from very serious bacterial infections requiring repeated treatment as a result of ingesting putrid water. His first weeks were precarious, especially as he was teething, and it was a struggle to keep him alive. Finally with the loving care of his keepers and the steadfast attention of his elephant companions Murit turned the corner and began to put on condition and start to play.
Embu
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Female Approximately 18 months on arrival
Date of arrival 2nd August
Embu’s rescue was a challenge. Spotted on the forested Embu slopes of Mt Kenya it was no mean feat for the KWS/DSWT team to capture this 18 month old elephant in undulating terrain filled with thick vegetation and stinging nettles. Embu was emaciated and once back at the nursery collapsed and had to be given IV fluids. It was touch and go for a while but slowly she regained strength although she seemed sad, clearly missing her elephant family. She became very friendly with a much younger female called Dupotto, who was rescued a few days after her, and together they have helped each other to heal.
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Ndotto
Male
Approximately 2 weeks on arrival
Date of arrival 7th August
Little Ndotto is probably the smallest baby elephant that has ever come into our care. He comes from the remote Ndoto Mountains in Northern Kenya. A sympathetic Samburu community found him and cared for him in their manyatta for two days whilst they tried to get word out to the wildlife authorities. No one knows what happened to his mother. The area is so remote that rescue was only possible by helicopter. Ndotto has settled happily into nursery life and has found a mother figure in Mbegu who is putting into practice the gentle mothering lessons she has learnt from Oltaiyoni. One of Ndotto’s favourite pastimes is chasing the warthogs.
Dupotto
Female
Bada (Voi)
Approximately 6 months on arrival
Date of arrival 9th August
Dupotto was found alone in the forested Dupoto area of the transmara. The fate of her mother is a mystery although something left Dupotto with deep emotional scars. Dupotto physically recovered quickly, settling and feeding well, but emotionally she behaved very strangely, becoming excessively restless, agitated and disruptive within the junior group of orphans, a sign of post-traumatic stress. Happily in the older group of orphans she found a loving friend in Embu, a maternal older elephant. By sharing their grief the two have been able to comfort and understand each other although Dupotto can become very upset if separated from Embu. Male
Approximately 2 years on arrival
Date of arrival 26th August
Bada was first seen close to the river in Galana Conservancy. There was no sign of his mother in this poaching rife area and he tried in vain to join up with other wild herds drinking at the river. The rescue was difficult as the area was very bushy and the team was concerned the relatively large elephant would run into the river. Bada was finally caught and although dehydrated had only a single bruise to show for his escapades. He was taken directly to the Voi stockades where he responded well to milk and has settled in well with the other orphans, who enjoy having a ‘baby’ to look after and play with.
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Olsekki
Male
Approximately 1 year on arrival
Date of arrival 3rd September
Olsekki came to us from the Naibosho Conservancy in the Masai Mara under very sad circumstances. His mother had to be euthanized by KWS vets as she was in very poor condition with a broken leg from which she would not recover. Olsekki came in understandably confused and upset and spent the first day and night bellowing for his mother. He had been at least spared the anguish of watching her die and was in good condition, so after a few days he settled down and became very greedy, loving his milk. He can be very boisterous and playful and sometimes gets bullied by the bigger elephants, but he is watched over by the gentle Embu and is a friend to everyone at the nursery.
Enkikwe
Male
Lasayen
Male
Approximately 10 months on arrival
Enkikwe’s mother died suddenly and tragically from a mysterious illness and, although his brother was old enough to survive within the herd, there would have been no hope for Enkikwe in the wild as he was still milk dependent. He came in strong and robust, full of fight and obviously outraged at being separated from his family, not understanding this was the only option for his survival. He took a long time to settle but with maternal Embu’s love and reassurance he finally calmed down and joined the orphan herd. He has become a playful yet shy elephant, not greedy like some of his companions, but he does occasionally bully the younger elephants. Approximately 1 month on arrival
Lasayen was rescued having fallen down a well in the Namunyak Conservancy in Northern Kenya. He was rescued by Namunyak Conservancy scouts and spent the night at Sarara Safari Camp before our rescue team arrived to airlift him back to Nairobi. On arrival at the nursery he was in a stable condition, with no external injuries, but had a bad bacterial infection. He has responded well to treatment but the teething process makes him still vulnerable. Lasayen loves his keepers dearly and is constantly seeking their love and reassuring attention, although he has also become a lively member of our miniature baby herd and a special favourite of Oltaiyoni.
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Date of arrival 23rd September
Date of arrival 26th September
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Sirimon
Roi
Male
Female
Approximately 1 year on arrival
Date of arrival 16th October
Sirimon slipped between the fences of the Mount Kenya elephant corridor which forms a vital link between Mt Kenya and the Northern Rangelands. The fences prevent large elephants from marauding on the farmlands and the calves would usually stay with their mothers, but it is thought Sirimon’s mother was the victim of poachers as a lactating female carcass was found 3 weeks earlier. Sirimon must have been scrounging milk from somewhere as he was in fairly good condition when brought in although he took to the bottle immediately and was clearly ravenous. He settled fairly quickly and, although initially a little aggressive, was soon out with the other orphans. Approximately 10 months on arrival
Date of arrival 22nd October
Roi came to us from Olare Orok in the Masai Mara where her mother had died from a poisoned spear wound inflicted by poachers. She had been rejected by another lactating mother but was still under the protection of the herd where she would not have survived for long without milk. She had to be darted to sedate her and slow her down in order to separate her from the herd and facilitate the rescue. She was very traumatised and wild on arrival and it took a few days for Roi to settle down enough to be let out with the others. However, once with them she was much happier, and began to gain confidence and learn the nursery routine, rapidly becoming part of the family.
Milk mixing time
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Wass is rescued from the Milgis Lugga with two little ostrich friends Pea and Pod
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Nursery Deaths 2014 Arabukko (M)
Rescued from Arabukko Sokoke forest near Watamu on the coast of Kenya. Died due to stomach complications having been fed cows milk.
Asanje (F)
Rescued from Masai Mara but died due to health complications triggered from an allergic reaction.
Chehe (F)
Rescued from Chehe forest on Mt. Kenya, died shortly after arrival.
Kazakini (M)
Rescued having been trapped in mud. Was rescued too late and had no reserves. He died due to lung and stomach complications.
Kerioh (F)
Rescued from Rimoi Game Reserve and died from a bacterial infection.
Kono (F)
Rescued from Tsavo East, Satao area, died due to very poor body condition having been orphaned for a very long time.
Lekupe (F)
Rescued from Wamba. A well victim who had ingested huge amounts of water in her lungs. Died from lung complications.
Losesia (F)
Rescued from Sera Conservancy, another well victim, who died having ingested water in the lungs.
Mackinnon (M) Rescued from Rukinga Ranch having been rescued from a well. Died because of stomach and lung complications. Mwalolo (M)
Rescued from the Shimba hills a victim of poaching and sadly rescued when too weak and far gone.
Nkii (F)
Rescued from Namunyak Conservancy, a tiny well victim who we did not manage to save.
Olodare (M)
Rescued from Amboseli having been trapped in mud, died of Pneumonia.
Rasasi (M)
Rescued from Tsavo East, Satao area, with a broken leg from a bullet wound and had to be euthanised
Unnamed (M)
Rescued from Taita Ranch down in Tsavo, this calf died from terrible snare wound injuries.
Wass (M)
Rescued from Milgis Lugga in Northern Kenya, a well victim that we were unable to save.
Balguta (F)
Rescued from Kasigau in Tsavo West, rescued too late and died due to extreme weakness soon after arrival.
Sorka (F)
Rescued from Tsavo East, Satao area, and taken directly to the Voi stockades. Sadly she died 6 weeks later due to some mysterious complications.
Unnamed (F)
Rescued in Tsavo East, along the Mzima springs pipeline, emaciated on arrival and died soon after.
Sabachi (M)
A semi independent orphan, tragically killed by hyenas at Ithumba.
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Angela Sheldrick with the Voi keepers
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Enily’s ex-orphan herd with baby Emma
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
The Voi Unit The DSWT Voi rehabilitation and reintegration unit is situated in Tsavo East National Park at the base of Msinga Hill not far from Voi gate. The Unit is home to 20 orphans, 13 of whom are still milk dependent and 7 who are semi-independent. Lesanju is the main matriarch of this little herd of orphans, ably assisted by her best friend Lempaute as well as Wasessa and Sinya. They often have their work cut out trying to keep order especially where the little boisterous bulls Dabassa, Rombo, Taveta, Tassia and Mzima are concerned. Mudanda and Bada are the babies of the herd, much loved by the older orphans, being only about 2 years old. They were joined in December by Ndoria, who is very slightly older. All these babies were rescued locally and kept in Voi as they were old enough and strong enough not to need the extra assistance provided at the Nairobi Nursery Unit, and the Voi orphans just love having some babies to mother. Naipoki, Ishaq B and Kihari were moved to Voi from the Nursery in the latter part of 2013 and are the next youngest. They usually stick together having formed close friendship bonds before arriving in Voi. Kenia, Ndii, Kivuko, Panda and Layoni, all females except for Layoni, range in age between the oldest and youngest and make up the remainder of the Voi orphan herd. The day starts early for the orphans at around 6am. The youngest are let out of the stockades first so they can have their milk bottle feed and enjoy some copra cake and dairy cubes without being pushed about by the older ones. The elephants can become greedy and pushy at this time, especially big girl Wasessa, so the keepers try and ensure that everyone gets a fair share by letting them out in age order. All the orphans respect the orders of the keepers, despite the fact that some of them could easily flatten a keeper with a swipe of their trunks. If they are badly behaved they are sent for ‘time out’ in just the same way as a senior elephant would discipline a member of her herd Sometimes the orphans will be joined by ex-orphans, who are now completely independent, but still enjoy returning to interact with them. The keepers usually put the supplementary feeds on hold when they are around and the orphans return to the compound a little later on, once the ex-orphans have left. Emily’s ex-orphan herd was often present at the beginning of the year and whilst the juniors are always happy to see them, the Big Girls; Lesanju, Lempaute, Sinya and Wasessa, are definitely not. Some of the older females have a tendency to want to ‘snatch’ the little ones. Icholta, Thoma, Mweya and Seraa are the main culprits so Lesanju tries to spirit her little herd quickly away when they are around, although if things do turn ugly, Emily will lead her group away to avoid further trouble. From April to November Emily’s group were absent so Lesanju could relax, but not totally as even the wild elephants would also quite happily snatch a baby. Some of the junior members of the herd would be quite happy to go with the ex-orphans or wild ones but they are still a little too young. On a couple of occasions the Voi keepers had to enlist the help of the Trust’s plane and pilot for an aerial search for orphans that had decided they were independent enough not to return to the stockades. Firstly it was Kihari, Naipoki and Ishaq B; newly arrived from the Nairobi Nursery. They were fascinated by the wild elephants and led by Naipoki they trailed a wild herd, even though not welcomed by the Matriarch. It was getting late when junior boys Dabassa and Tassia re-joined the rest of the herd, who were being kept well away by Lesanju, without the other three, so aerial
assistance was necessary to locate them. Finally the three truants were spotted, still following the wild herd, and it took a further three hours for the keepers to round them up and escort them back to the stockades. Thankfully they have settled down since then and, whilst still enjoying their interactions with ex-orphans and wild elephants, have not been tempted to abandon their own mini herd again. Mbirikani, remembering her wild life very well as she was rescued when quite old, has also been tempted to abscond on a number of occasions. Her leg was very badly injured by a snare which impedes her ability to evade danger and, although her mobility has significantly improved as the year progressed, on this occasion she was still not sufficiently recovered to be safe alone. She disappeared one evening in mid-March and had still not returned the following day so the plane was mobilised with a keeper on board who was sure he could recognise her from the air. After many hours of searching she was finally spotted amongst a small herd with young calves. There were two hungry lions skulking in the bushes near to the herd so a ground team was very quickly mobilised and thankfully got to her in time, encouraging her to return to the stockades – a great relief for everyone involved. The orphans are not discouraged from interacting with their wild friends as this is an important part of their reintegration back into the wild. Eventually they will decide to overnight with them and become independent, although Lesanju as matriarch of the orphan herd tries her best to keep the little family intact. It is only when the orphans are not physically ready that the keepers will intervene and bring them back to the stockades for safety. Tassia and Taveta have become bolder as the year progressed and initiated contacts with wild herds. Mzima, along with Lesanju and Dabassa, has also become more independent and enjoys making new wild friends, often staying behind with them before following the other orphans back to the stockades. So far however he has always returned, perhaps made wary by the occasion when he was chased off by an aggressive female after overpowering his wild opponent, not yet having learned his lesson to play somewhat more gently. After their 6am wake-up the orphans’ day usually starts with some fun, including wrestling, mimic mounting, soil dusting, scratching and strength games. It also amuses them to chase off the baboons who are trying to get a free handout of supplements and to play with the resident impalas who leap over bushes and also enjoy the game. Tassia finds the quelea birds irritating and flaps his ears at them, charging and trumpeting whenever they fly past. Lualeni (the orphan zebra stallion) was also good for a diversion, either around the stockade or turning up unexpectedly at the bush mudbath having followed the milk delivery truck. Eventually he was relocated to be with other zebras at Sagalla conservancy as he became rather aggressive. Ngulia the female orphan zebra foal along with rescued kudu and warthogs also prove interesting playmates. After a morning of browsing, the fun usually continues at midday in the bush mudbath, where the orphans love to impress and show off with their bathing and wallowing skills when the weather is warm. An audience such as school children on the Trust’s outreach fieldtrips encourages the orphans to show off even more. The children get a real thrill from exposure to the elephants and learn a lot about them as they observe their individual characteristics. Ndii became a firm favourite when she persisted in scratching her bottom on a
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 rock and had everyone in fits of giggles. Mudbath is an extremely carefree time with mud flung around everywhere and trumpeting, boisterous elephants charging in all directions. Mbirikani especially loves plunging into the water and rolling around like a hippo, and her comical antics and excitement quickly attracts the others to join her. Sinya is the only orphan who does not really like to wallow, probably remembering the experience of falling down a well which caused her to become orphaned, but even she will sometimes go in if it is really hot whilst the others look on in amazement as she plays. The orphans are often joined by the ex-orphans and wild elephants at the mudbath and this gives them another opportunity to interact and play with their wild peers. Bathing is usually followed by a serious amount of soil dusting and scratching after which the orphans move off again to browse and play throughout the afternoon. The male orphans like to show off in their games, trying to impress with their strength testing and pushing games which can become very intense. Sometimes the games can get out of hand and one of the older females has to intervene, especially when boisterous bulls Dabassa, Rombo, Taveta and Tassia are involved. Dabassa is a particularly tough little bull and the others often try to get the better of him, even resorting to sneaky tactics, such as when Tassia staged an attack from behind Dabassa whilst he was engaged in a battle with Rombo, leaving him screaming for assistance. Tassia also found a way to beat Layoni by pretending he was defeated when it looked as if he was going to lose. Once Layoni’s back was turned to celebrate his victory, Tassia gave him an almighty shove, instantly knocking him down. These games continue until Lesanju decides things are getting too rough and puts a stop to them, although sometimes it is the keepers who have to intervene. The females are generally unimpressed by the boys’ shows of strength and prefer rolling, soil dusting and scratching games. Lesanju was seen demonstrating to newcomers Naipoki, Kihari and Ishaq B some amazing new techniques for rolling whilst twisting trunks. Ndii has introduced two new games; firstly throwing huge chunks of soil into the air and onto her back where they burst into soft powder, which entranced Panda, little Mudanda, Naipoki and Kihari who quickly copied her, and secondly a scratching and sliding on the banks of the water hole game which even managed to entice Sinya despite her aversion to water.
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The ratio of playing to browsing is usually determined by the weather and consequent availability of good browse. In the dry seasons playtime is compromised as the orphans have to concentrate on the serious business of finding food, often heading off early to the slopes of Msinga Hill where much of the dry season browse remains. Each day they opt to head off in a different direction, sometimes directed by the keepers but usually by the orphans themselves. The warm rainy weather however brings lush browse and many small waterholes that the orphans love to play in and also turns the open grasslands into a haven for wild elephants. The orphans’ reaction to each wild elephant encounter is unpredictable; they might move away and give them a miss or at other times interact closely. The boys love to single out sparring partners with the wild bulls and the girls love the wild babies. On one occasion they followed a wild cow that came to the stockades to drink as they were fascinated with her young calf. They joined her herd, staying with them the whole day, even missing their afternoon milk bottle, and only returning to the stockades in the evening. Sometimes however the orphans’ excessive interest in the wild babies can get them into trouble with their mothers as it oversteps the bounds of polite elephant behaviour. At other times Lesanju, Sinya and Wasessa will bring the wild encounters to an end because conversely a wild cow or calf pays too much attention to the babies in their herd. The end of the year heralded the return of Emily’s ex-orphan herd to the Voi stockades much to the younger orphans delight and the keepers’ relief as they had not been seen for six months. The group comprised of Emily and Edie with their wild born calves Eve and Ella, big bull Laikipia, Icholta, Lolokwe, Mweya, Sweet Sally, Thoma, Ndara, Seraa, Morani, Irima and Siria. A number of the females appear to be pregnant and Emily gave us the best present ever when on Christmas Eve she gave birth to her second wild born baby at the stockades. Emily’s herd have been very protective of the new calf, keeping the orphans at bay until the baby is a bit bigger. Even her sister Eve only managed to get close a couple of days after the birth. The calf, named Emma, is looking strong and healthy and feeding well, a wonderful end to the year.
Joseph Sauni - Head keeper Voi unit
Voi orphans
Voi
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Baby Emma the day she was born
Voi orphans at mid-day mudbath
Voi orphans
Ex-orphan Lolokwe scrounges left over milk - Voi
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
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Voi rehabilitation unit - Ex Orphan Lolokwe towers over dependent baby Mudanda
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
The Story of Emily’s New Baby - Emma Chistimas 2014 was a joyful month for the Voi Unit. Not only had bountiful end of year rains transformed Tsavo, a normally arid environment into a lush green jungle adorned with wild flowers and pulsating with life, but waterholes were filled with rain water and so for elephants and others food and water was readily available for all. So it was the festive season for the elephants, the natural world generally, and for the humans who were there as the custodians of the many orphaned elephants, many of whom were now living wild. The icing on the Xmas cake for us was an event that took place on the 23rd of December when Emily, who had been absent for much of the latter part of 2014 living a normal wild elephant life and had recently returned to remain closer to home with her herd of ex orphans, came to the Voi stockades at 10.30 am to give birth to her second wild born calf in the company of her erstwhile human family of Keepers who had been instrumental in her own upbringing during her formative years. This was witnessed and captured on film by the Keepers and the event was filled with trumpets and rumbles of joy from Emily’s satellite herd who had accompanied her back, all of whom were eager to gently help get the new precious bundle to its feet,
nudging it gently, and using their trunks to lift the baby. It was a second daughter for Emily who we have named Emma, a little sister for Emily’s first born Eve, who was born on the 11th of December 2008. Emily was orphaned in early infancy when she fell down a disused pit latrine near the Manyani Prison Camp which abuts Tsavo East National Park in 1993. She completed her milk dependent years at the Trust’s Nairobi National Park Elephant Nursery before being transferred to the Trust’s Tsavo East Voi rehabilitation facility to embark on her journey back to her birthright – a normal wild life amongst the wild elephant community of the area. In the fullness of time she morphed into an extremely able matriarch, leading and guiding the younger orphans who were part of her orphaned herd and who originated from almost every elephant population throughout Kenya with even a Ugandan elephant Mweya in the mix. Emily is a gentle and loving elephant who transcends both worlds. She is extremely well known globally thanks to BBC’s highly acclaimed Elephant Diaries series, and the two 60 Minutes shows highlighting the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s work with
special emphasis on Emily’s story. She has once again rewritten her story by amazing us further in choosing to share such an intimate moment, seldom witnessed by anyone, with those who she trusts and loves, her human Keepers. Emily knew that in their company she and her calf would remain safe from predators and because elephants never forget she will always love and trust the Keepers who have played such an important role in saving her life. Never could there be more tangible proof than her willingness to share her precious wild born babies with them, even allowing them to witness the birth of little ‘Emma’. Emma is doing well and is a cosseted baby whose every move is watched over carefully by Emily’s herd of ex orphans who have remained in the orbit of the Voi stockades choosing to visit the Keepers and the dependent Voi Orphans regularly since the 23rd of December with their most treasured brand new little package. Of course Emma’s presence has sent all the Voi orphans into a euphoric state as they love nothing more than tiny babies, and now they have another they can call their very own.
Emily, Emma and Eve
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Emma is born, Emily’s second wild born calf
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Heading out to browse in the morning
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Dependent orphans meet wild friends
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
The Ithumba Unit It has been a very successful year at the Ithumba rehabilitation and reintegration unit. Six orphans arrived from the Nairobi Nursery and Suguta’s group of older orphans graduated from staying in the stockades to becoming semi-independent, living wild and just returning for supplementary food and water. The ex-orphans were often present, checking in on the younger ones, and sometimes coming back for help or to eat and drink when conditions were harsh. The year began hot and dry, with a few infrequent showers. Rain turned the landscape green for a while in March/April but it was not enough to sustain the habitat until the next rainy season in November/December. Thankfully those rains were good and Ithumba became a paradise for the elephants, plenty of green browse and muddy waterholes to frolic and play in. When it is dry the elephants have to travel further afield in search of food and spend more time browsing. This means there is less time for socialising and play but it is important that they learn to cope in the drier conditions before becoming fully independent. They are lucky in that they can learn to adapt to the ever changing environment with the back-up of plenty of supplements, extra food and water. When it is dry the ex-orphans and wild elephants also gravitate to the stockades to share in the water provided. All together they can consume as much as 20,000 litres a day and there has been as many as 100 elephants present at a time. The young dependant group of orphans, or juniors as they are known by the keepers, now consists of 17 elephants; new arrivals Vuria, Garzi, Bomani, Teleki, and Orwa joining last year’s arrivals Laragai, Narok, Kainuk, Kanjoro, Bongo, Sities, Mutara, Shukuru, and Turkwel. Kasigau, Kilabasi and Makireti who were part of the group at the beginning of the year, graduated to Suguta’s group for a while but then returned when they moved further afield in December. At the beginning of the year it also included Ziwa who returned to the Nursery due to ill health. Sites and Kilabasi hold the junior matriarchal roles in this group, with Laragai also showing leadership tendencies. The dependent orphans’ daily routine starts with milk in the stockades in the morning after which they are let out to feed on Lucerne. Having eaten their fill and socialised for a while they head off to the browsing fields; Kone, Kanziku, Kalovoto or Ithumba Hill. At 11am they go to the mud bath area for more milk, water and a splash in the wallow if the weather is warm. There is also plenty of fresh red soil to dry off in or play with if they feel inclined. After this they go back to the browsing fields then return to the safety of the stockades before nightfall for a final bottle of milk. Very often during the day they link up with Suguta’s group or the other ex-orphans and even wild elephants. Socializing is vital as it prepares the juniors for transition into the wild. This is a slow process, taking many years, as the orphans themselves choose when they are ready to leave the safety of the stockades at night. Even then, as can be seen with the ex-orphans, they still remain in close touch with their keepers and orphan friends and much later even share the joy of their wild born babies. Kanjoro, Mutara, Kasigau, Kilabasi and Makireti have all been showing signs of
being nearly ready to take the next step in becoming more independent and joining Suguta’s herd, sometimes spending time out in the wild with them and being escorted to and from the stockades by the ex-orphans. Suguta’s group, the older semi-independent elephants, consists of 12 young elephants; Melia, Tumaren, Kibo, Olare, Kitirua, Kalama, Chemi Chemi, Kandecha, Murka, Naisula and Ishanga as well as Suguta. At the beginning of the year they were still sleeping in the safety of the stockades at night but heading off independently during the day, probably to spend time with the older ex-orphans or wild elephants. Often they were escorted out and back by ex-orphans, usually bulls, but sometimes Suguta was confident enough to lead them all off, obviously knowing exactly where to go. By the end of the year they no longer returned at night but still remain attached and dependent enough to visit most days and receive food supplements and milk from time to time. Sometimes this group also includes Chaimu, Kilaguni and Ololoo but they have over the course of the year become even more independent and are usually with ex-orphans. The ex-orphans group of big and fully integrated orphans have been frequent visitors to the stockades all through the year, even in December despite the plentiful vegetation and water which enables them to head further afield. The ex-orphans are: Chaimu, Kilaguni, Ololoo, Ithumbah, Meibai, Chyulu, Zurura, Makena, Kamboyo, Loijuk, Lenana, Kenze, Kora, Challa, Lualeni, Sidai, Buchuma, Orok, Naserian, Madiba, Sunyei, Rapsu, Galana, Taita, Tomboi, Napasha, Wendi, Mulika and her calf Mwende, Nasalot, Kinna, and Yatta with her calf Yetu. The ex-orphans are not often all together. Yatta and Mulika are the main Matriarchs but Lualeni keeps trying to develop her own splinter group. She often tries to persuade the juniors to join her (which the keepers have to look out for as they are too young and still milk dependent) or she has some luck with the young bulls who will naturally leave the herd as they get older. Some of the older bulls have now gone off alone or in male groups and may not be seen for many months at a time. Napasha was absent for eight months before finally returning to the stockades in August, where everyone was very relieved and happy to see him. The ex-orphans are a very important component at Ithumba as they freely impart attention, guidance and love to the younger ones. They are also friendly with a number of wild elephants who will sometimes join them at the stockades to drink and share in the orphans’ lucerne. Initially these wild elephants were mainly bulls but over the years more and more females with their babies are comfortable and trusting enough to interact with the orphans at the stockades. Wild elephants that often associate with the orphans are named by the keepers, becoming part of the Ithumba family. The big dominant bull that was their first wild friend was named Rafiki. Pembe Moja, Half Trunk and Kijana are also male wild friends and another huge tusker, Mshale, has now had his life saved on four occasions by the Trust. This year he came with Wendi to the stockades, extremely weak, with suppurating spear wounds in his shoulder and neck. The Tsavo Mobile
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Ex-orphans with wild friends - Ithumba
Heading home to their night stokades - Ithumba
Wild born babies Yetu and Mwende
Dust bath - Ithumba
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Veterinary unit was immediately flown to Ithumba to treat him, cleaning and dressing his wounds and administering a long lasting antibiotic, after which he slowly limped away. Yatta and Mulika’s wild born babies were fathered by wild bulls and it seems that Sunyei, Kinna and Wendi have also caught the bulls’ attention over the last year. The big bulls seem to fascinate the juniors and they are always curious to meet them. Kanjoro has always approached them without hesitation and Laragai, Bomani and Shukuru have also been brave enough to approach and sniff them with their trunks. Garzi, Teleki and Orwa are less confident and often just stand watching in awe. The wild elephants seem to enjoy the juniors company, often spending quite a long time interacting with them. Laragai and Bongo had a thrilling wallow with a huge wild bull and Kibo, Murka, Suguta, Kalama, Olare and Shukuru also bathed between two wild elephants. The orphans love to play with wild babies but they have to be careful not to overstep the mark. The ex-orphans are more aware of correct conduct so when Orwa was a bit too rough with a wild baby, who had instigated a pushing game, Sidai and Lenana quickly escorted the baby back to his mother. Conversely another time a calf was knocked down three times by different orphans and his family did not intervene. Perhaps they considered that he needed to learn a lesson that day, but it is not easy for the orphans to learn where the boundaries lie. The wild elephants, ex-orphans and orphans all love to wallow in the mudbath and play in the red soil that is especially brought in by tractor for them. On cool days dust bathing is prevalent as the elephants will only wallow if the water is warm. Orwa, Shukuru, Vuria, Garzi, Bomani and Mutara have also taken to scratching on rocks, a much warmer activity on a cold day that also has the benefit of getting rid of ticks. Bongo however, coming from the cooler climate of Mount Kenya, is nearly always keen to wallow, often several times a day if it is hot and there is mud available. He is quickly becoming independent and has orchestrated a few disappearing tricks, spending the entire night out once, seemingly unfazed but causing concern to the keepers as he is still too young. The keepers have also had to send out
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
search parties for milk-dependent juniors Ziwa, Teleki and Kanjoro who have been enticed away by the older orphans. Lualeni is the prime suspect when it comes to this as she is so keen to have her own group. The Nursery graduates Orwa, Teleki, Bomani, Garzi and Vuria have settled in to Ithumba really well and were warmly welcomed by the other orphans and ex-orphans. They do orientate away from the others in their own little group but Sities tries to make them welcome and even plays with Orwa. Teleki and Orwa are best friends having spent so many years together at the Nairobi Nursery and often walk side by side as they search for vegetation. If Teleki isn’t with Orwa he is often with Vuria although Kainuk has also started to befriend him when she is not with her best friend Turkwel. Bomani, Garzi, and Vuria also spend a lot of time browsing together with Vuria liking to stay close to the keepers ready for his next beloved bottle of milk. Vuria also enjoys a good sparring session and will even challenge much older orphans like Kilaguni, Bongo and Kibo, who generally just warn him off. Orwa eventually deigned to take Vuria on, and being a year older defeat him, but Vuria does not seem to be disheartened and can always resort to charging warthogs, another favourite pastime he shares with Turkwel. One midday fracas saw a warthog fall into the water trough and it had to be hoisted out by the keepers before it drowned. Buffalo, bushbuck, kudus, jackals and even wild dogs have also visited the stockades to share in the water and food available and cause excitement amongst the orphans.
Daphne at Ithumba Mudbath
Play time
The ex-orphans and wild elephants sometimes return to the stockades when they are in trouble or need assistance from the keepers. Kilaguni often suffers from constipation in the dry season as a result of his rectum being badly mauled by hyenas when he was orphaned. The keepers give him molasses, Epsom salts and sometimes a laxative when needed. The fact that he does not have a tail also seems to have had a psychological impact and he spends much time alone despite being showered with love and attention when he joins the orphans. The one tragedy of the year was the death of Sabachi. He was six years old and had chosen to leave the stockades to be with Suguta’s group. He had been suffering from poor health, despite treatment and extra supplements, and was then horrifically attacked one night outside the stockades by hyenas. The keepers and Suguta’s group managed to drive the hyenas off but the damage done was so severe, and Sabachi was in so much pain, that the difficult decision was made to euthanize him. Ziwa, a new arrival from the nursery in June, also departed Ithumba to return to the Nursery as a result of ill health. Thankfully he recovered well following treatment, so his rehabilitation has merely been put on hold for a while. A happy end to the year is that ex-orphans Wendi and Kinna are looking extremely pregnant. Everyone hoped for December babies to coincide with the abundance of life all around. The rains have turned Ithumba into a paradise with every baobab in leaf, every delonix tree in flower and exquisite mauve pentanisia flowers in abundance everywhere. However despite the favourable conditions it seems that we will have to wait a little longer, but we are sure that there will soon be new babies at Ithumba.
Wendi watching her wild boyfriend
Wild visitors at Ithumba
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Ex-orphan Yatta with Roan Carr-Hartley -Ithumba
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Ithumba Orphans
Mudbath time - Ithumba
Ithumba stockades
Benjamin with Wendi
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Ithumba rehabilitation unit
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Umani Springs
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The Umani Unit The Umani Springs rehabilitation and reintegration unit is brand new this year. It is situated close to the crystal clear Umani springs in the Kibwezi Forest, an 18,000 acre area secured by the Trust as part of the Saving Habitats program. Kibwezi Forest is nestled within the foothills of the Chyulu Hills National Park and is a more temperate environment than Tsavo, where the Ithumba and Voi units are located, so it provides ideal surroundings for our physically compromised orphans to continue with their reintegration into the wild. The unit was constructed with minimal disturbance to the surrounding habitat and provides a refuge for the orphans at night. During the day they wander freely along forest paths, through clearings and glades, into lush swampy areas and fertile grasslands. The quantity and diversity of browse means that the orphans do not have to travel vast distances in search of food, especially after the rains when the forest is heaving with butterflies and wildflowers. The first two orphans to arrive at Kibwezi in June were 5 year old Murera and 3 year old Sonje. They both suffered from poaching injuries which have left them permanently lame. The Umani unit was constructed predominantly for them as they will be able to flourish in the abundant forest. After the four and a half hour journey from Nairobi both elephants were somewhat confused and overwhelmed by their new surroundings but they quickly began to browse and explore following their keepers. They settled happily into the new stockades that night, but were a little nervous hearing the wild elephants outside and they missed their Nairobi elephant friends. Murera and Sonje were therefore overjoyed to welcome Quanza, Zongoloni and Lima Lima the following day. These three orphans are also poaching victims. Quanza was highly traumatized by watching her family being gunned down in Amboseli, Zongoloni stood guard as her mother slowly succumbed to a poacher’s bullet and Lima Lima’s mother was also thought to have been killed by poachers in Laikipia. On arrival Zongoloni and Quanza were a little bewildered but Lima Lima could not wait to get out of
the elephant mover truck and explore. Her confidence and exuberance were infectious and all five were soon happily exploring their new surroundings safe in the knowledge that their keepers were always by their side. Umani has so much to offer these elephant orphans and given their horrendous start in life it is fitting that they should now be content in a place of such beauty. Their days are incredibly varied as they discover the many hidden secrets of the forest. With numerous waterholes, some sparkling clear, some muddy with red earth or grey clay, they are spoilt for choice. They relish the new tastes of the range of vegetation on offer, particularly acacia pods and roots in the dry season and green lilies in the wet. They do however have a lot to learn and sometimes scare themselves silly for little or no reason. At Umani there are animals that they have not come across before, such as the bush babies that scared Lima Lima as they frolicked in the trees overhead on her first night. Quanza is the most fearful, even being frightened by a bushbuck crossing the road, never mind the terrapin that popped up its head in the mudbath scaring her and Zongoloni witless. Their fright was contagious and Murera also took to her heels, running to Lima Lima for comfort. One time the orphans came between a baboon and its baby, which screamed in fear and sent everyone hurtling back to the safety of the keepers trumpeting all the way. They have even been scared by the noise of hornbills, guinea fowl and crowned cranes, birds that they had not encountered at the Nairobi Nursery. The forest hides a multitude of creatures and there have been some close encounters where the orphans have been rightly afraid. They surprised a crocodile basking in the sun which leapt into the springs with an almighty splash as the orphans raced off in the opposite direction. Sometimes the orphans forewarn the keepers when danger is near. They sense the buffalo and even raised the alarm about a huge python well before the keepers were aware of it. The leopard that made a kill and sat to eat it just outside the stockades one night was a bit much though, and was nearly more than the elephants could endure.
Wild elephants often visit the stockades at night and the orphans are always curious about them. There are no big adult elephants in Nairobi National Park so this is the first time the orphans have been exposed to them since they were orphaned. Sometimes the wild elephants make so much noise pushing down trees and trumpeting that the keepers have to check on the orphans, making sure they are still all right as they were a little afraid to start with. The wild elephants usually disappear in the daytime, being wary of the orphans’ human companions, but the orphans are keen to follow their scent and learn more about them. In December the orphans came quite close to a huge male tusker who seemed about to come and make friends until he spotted the keepers and moved off. The wild elephants will grow familiar with the keepers but it will take some time before they are comfortable in their presence. The orphans’ routines have now been established. Firstly milk, followed by lucerne in the morning. Then dust bathing and browsing until the next feed at midday which is usually combined with a mudbath if the weather is warm. The afternoon is spent exploring and feeding, returning to the stockades for a final milk feed before retiring to their night stockades which are well provisioned with freshly cut greens, dairy cubes and more lucerne. The day is also punctuated by many opportunities to scratch on boulders and rocks to satisfy the irritating itches caused by ticks and tsetse flies. Mud bathing also helps to keep these annoying insects at bay as well as providing protection from the sun and the orphans delight in their opportunities to wallow. They also enjoy swimming, particularly Sonje who is happy to be completely submerged. This comes in very useful for avoiding the bees that the orphans have inadvertently disturbed on a couple of occasions whilst scratching and browsing. The orphans were very intrigued by the Umani springs water pipeline, especially where it is damaged, which has become a favourite playground. The browse is rich and the pipeline gushes out water that makes for a lovely clean wallow which the orphans enjoy enormously. All the
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orphans have grown stronger and more robust at Umani. Even in the dry season they were fat and healthy. Murera is definitely getting stronger and seems to be walking with less of a limp. She plays, dust bathes, wallows and frolics more than she ever used to. Her demeanour has changed so much that the keepers have even almost mistaken her for a wild elephant. Murera has asserted herself as the one in charge, the matriarch of the unit, but she does not necessarily take the physical lead because of her compromised leg. She is more than happy to share this role with the others, although lead position is often taken by Lima Lima with her natural confidence and exuberance. Serious decision making however still falls to Murera and Sonje and the younger three are happy to comply with them. Lima Lima’s confidence and enthusiasm has filtered through to all the others. She is always first to rush out of the stockades in the morning, beating the others to the milk and any other tasty food she can find. She is very greedy and ever hopeful that if she is quick enough she might just find an unattended milk bottle lying around. Lima Lima, Quanza and Zongoloni have all mastered the art of feeding themselves with their milk bottles. Quanza has got into the habit of not letting go of the empty bottle and inevitably only dropping it in an inconvenient place for the keepers to retrieve, such as in the mudbath. Zongoloni has taken the art of self-feeding to a new level as she manages to bend down and scoop up her own bottle without spilling it. She is the first orphan ever to have mastered this aspect of feeding but the others will probably soon follow her example. The orphans at Umani have formed a tight knit and cohesive unit under the guidance and protection of their keepers Amos, Aden and Simon together with head keeper Philip Okonde. This is a very experienced keeper team who have in depth knowledge about the needs of the orphans and the ways in which they will learn to become ever more independent and self-reliant. The keepers follow the elephants lead when they decide to go in a certain direction or avoid an area, knowing that often the elephants are more aware than they are themselves of any awaiting opportunities or dangers. Both elephants and keepers are delighted to be at Umani and the keepers, who rotate between the different rehabilitation units, have said that they don’t think they will ever want to leave. The guests at Umani Springs Lodge can also now enjoy the wonderful experience of interacting with our orphans as they grow up and start to become integrated into the wild.
Kibwezi forest - Umani Springs rehabilitation unit
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The Umani Springs orphans enjoying their new home
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Umani Springs - our third and most recent rehabilitation unit
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The Orphaned Rhinos Our rhinos Maxwell and Solio continue to do well although the year has not been without worries and excitement. A young female rhino was poached in Nairobi National Park and we were very worried that it might be Solio as we had not seen her for some time. Hence we were very happy when she turned up having had notches cut into her ears and a radio device installed in her front horn by the Kenya Wildlife Service. She returned fairly regularly for some time after that and on one occasion Maxwell managed to open his gate and follow Solio’s scent trail out into the park. They had a romp in the orphans’ mud bath before heading off down the hill where blind Maxwell lost her scent after a shower of rain and settled down happily to browse near the road. He was found at 5am and the keepers spent the next 6 hours trying to entice him back with fruit and the scent of his familiar dung. Even vehicles were employed to try and ‘herd’ him back (to which he took umbrage, charging at one) it eventually took the Trust’s drone flying near his rear end to worry him enough to steer him back into his stockade. Thankfully this was accomplished just minutes before the doors were due to open for the 11am visiting time. Maxwell also took offence when a hippo appeared under cover of darkness and started to spray dung on his stockade. He charged at the poles and the wall buckled under his weight although luckily this time Maxwell chose to stay in the stockade. His stockade has since been improved and strengthened, with all the earth replaced as he could not bear the smell of hippo! Sadly, due to his genetic eye condition, blind Maxwell will never be able to have a wild life but he greatly enjoys Solio’s visits and those of the wild rhinos that come under the cover of darkness. Solio however is now well integrated into the wild rhino community and is often seen in the company of a female with a calf around her own age. She still comes back periodically for a feed of lucerne and to check on Maxwell which is wonderful as it helps to ease our ever present fears for her safety. Her good fat condition also gives us hope that one day she might even come home with a baby in tow.
The Other Orphans November brought some unexpected additions to our Nursery community. Two tiny ostrich chicks, now named Pea and Pod, were handed to us by rangers as we attended to the rescue of a baby elephant from the Milgis in Northern Kenya. These two comical creatures now spend the day out with the infant elephant group. The arrival of Kili, a new born giraffe rescued from Amboseli National Park, necessitated the acquisition of new feeding skills by the keepers as they had to clamber up the stockades in order to deliver his milk at the correct elevated angle. The construction of a new skyscraper stable to accommodate him as he grew was also necessary. Kili had been placed on our fostering programme but following an attack by two lions he sadly later died. Our beloved Geri the thompson gazelle also fell victim to the dreaded lions this year. We have also raised two kudus this year, two zebras down at Voi, genet cats, a bush buck along with a baby Suni antelope, and a hyrax.
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Solio with Maxwell
Solio in Nairobi National Park
Orphaned bushbuck Nyika
Ostrich orphans Pea and Pod
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Hand-raised Nuk and Cassie
Ngulia fed by Mohammed
Hand-raised orphaned Genet cat
Nairobi Nursery-the keepers with some of their charges
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Dr. Poghon
Dr. Limo
Dr. Njoroge
Dr. Rono
Veterinary Units Overview Since 2003, when the very first Mobile Veterinary Unit was established between the Kenya Wildlife Service and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Tsavo East, the Trust has funded and deployed an additional three full-time units, all operating in partnership with the KWS throughout Kenya. After the success of the Tsavo Unit, the DSWT created the Mara Unit covering the greater Maasai Mara region, which commenced operations in 2007, followed by the Meru Unit established in 2013 covering the Eastern and Northern Conservation Areas, before in 2014 the Amboseli Unit was deployed, servicing the Southern Conservation Area including the Chyulu Hills as well as the Kajiado and Magadi areas. Decentralizing wildlife veterinary services in Kenya was realized over a decade ago, and was only made possible through partnership with the KWS, who provide the technical support of skilled KWS field veterinarians and capture rangers, while the DSWT provides the financial support and resources to ensure these operations are sustainable and effective.
Amboseli Vet Unit launched The newest arrival to the veterinary fleet is the Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit, which was launched during the first week of May 2014. This unit, which is based within Amboseli National Park, works closely with the neighbouring Tsavo Unit providing permanent veterinary support within the Southern Conservation Area. Headed by KWS Field Veterinary Officer Dr. Njoroge with the assistance of two KWS rangers and a DSWT driver, the Amboseli Unit has been generously funded by the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Charitable Trust, and is equipped with a Land Cruiser and all the necessary equipment in order to work remotely in the field treating a host of wildlife species.
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Dr. Njoroge – Notes from the Field I was nominated in early 2014 by the KWS to head the DSWT funded Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit. This unit, now the fourth mobile veterinary unit funded by DSWT, is based in the National Park and covers the vast Southern Conservation Area which encompasses Amboseli National Park, Kajiado, Namanga, Magadi, Lake Natron, Chyulu Hills, as well as the surrounding ecosystem and the Southern Tsavo West area including Lake Jipe, an ecosystem famous for large numbers of elephants. The unit is critical in ensuring prompt and immediate response to wildlife cases that require clinical intervention such as injuries from fights, human-wildlife conflicts, snares, arrows, bullets and spearing along with wildlife rescue, disease outbreak investigation, and surveillance and monitoring. During my time in Amboseli heading the unit I have experienced both hardship and success. I have had to travel long and tiring distances throughout the vast Southern Conservation Area in a bid to relieve animals from their suffering. Vegetation and terrain within the area is varied and often challenging for darting of animals, proving at times difficult to locate and dart wildlife from a vehicle or on foot. I have also experienced cases where it has been challenging to relocate darted animals, having spent many hours searching for immobilized animals. This is both risky for the team and the darted animal.This situation has however improved enormously thanks to the support of the DSWT helicopter and the DSWT light aircrafts who are able to provide aerial support for our veterinary ground team. I have been able to attend distant cases quickly and efficiently because of this, whilst darting and recovery has been made much more efficient as a result.
The Sky Vet Program Since inception in April 2013 the DSWT/KWS Sky Vet program has been a huge success. To date Sky Vets has treated 80 wildlife cases of which many elephants were saved as well as a number of other key threatened species such as the Grevy’s Zebra, Lion and Rhino. The 1st reporting period, which commenced in April 2013July 2013, saw 13 cases treated. The 2nd period was AugustOctober 2013, and covered 14 cases. The 3rd reporting period from November 2013-January 2014 saw 24 cases treated (this reporting period saw many wildlife cases treated on the same day/trip). The 4th period February to April 2014 saw 8 cases attended. The 5th period May to July 2014 saw 13 wildlife cases attended. The 6th period August to October 2014 saw 5 wildlife cases treated whilst the 7th reporting period covering November 2014 to January 2015 saw 8 cases treated. Sky Vets ensure that vets are flown to attend cases that would otherwise remain untreated due to their challenging circumstances.
During the year I also managed to rescue an orphaned giraffe, named Kili, who was rescued from the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, orphaned as a result of his mother being snared. I had to drive him throughout the night to deliver him to the DSWT Nairobi Nursery stockade for care. I have enjoyed getting to know the Amboseli area, much of which I never knew before, and it has been a pleasure to interact positively with the various wildlife-minded stake holders who work throughout this region, as well as the Amboseli Kenya Wildlife Service Staff, who have all been extremely helpful and welcoming. This opportunity has enabled me to pursue my passion and my love of animals, whilst being given the opportunity to make a difference and to save and conserve. It gives one a lot of satisfaction when you save a life and ensure our national heritage is preserved for the benefit of today and the future.
Dr. Michael Njoroge
Treatment of a wounded elephant
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Iconic elephant ‘Tim’ is treated for a spear wound
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Anti-Poaching Anti-Poaching is a vital tool in the elimination of ivory and rhino horn poaching, subsistence and commercial bushmeat snaring, logging and charcoal activities as well as illegal intrusion into the protected areas. Eradicating these activities will continue to be a key responsibility of the DSWT within the greater Tsavo Conservation Area as well as threatened habitats further afield, where solutions are constantly being sought to overcome the pressures being placed on Kenya’s wildlife and wild places. The DSWT now operates nine Anti-Poaching units, of which eight are based within the Tsavo Conservation Area and a new unit is currently operating in Meru National Park. On top of these teams the Trust also supports a specialised KWS Rapid Response Unit based from Tsavo River in Tsavo East, which is operated by the KWS’s top field recruits who provide armed response to information relating to armed poaching syndicates operating in the region. The DSWT continues to invest in training for all DSWT Anti-Poaching rangers and once again candidates graduated from the KWS’s Manyani Law Enforcement Academy in July 2014 with 21 rangers attending from both Project Amu and the Tsavo region. This is the third time the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has sent their rangers to Manyani to acquire skills much needed in wildlife and habitat preservation. As in previous years the Trust’s rangers picked up awards including Best in Drill (Benjamin Kasaine) and Best All Round (Elisha Otieno). The Passing Out parade was conducted in the distinguished presence of the Deputy Director Devolution & Community Service, Mr. Benjamin Kavu, HSC, who spoke of the enormous task of stopping poachers on the ground. 2014 has seen the introduction of the New Wildlife Act, which came into effect on December 27th 2013, and with tougher penalties on offer, poachers have this year received stricter fines and longer imprisonment. It is difficult to say whether this has deterred poachers entering the Parks, especially as the DSWT teams continue to arrest significant numbers of wildlife offenders, yet penalties including Ksh36,000/- or 6 months imprisonment for subsistence poaching or Ksh1 million/- or 5 years in prison for ivory poaching have been imposed in courts during the year. Key arrests and recoveries by the DSWT/KWS teams this year have included a number of notorious ivory poachers, whilst many tusks have been recovered from elephant carcasses; one with the poacher caught in the act of hacking out the tusks. An entire poaching gang was also arrested which had attacked an elephant with 9 arrows. This elephant was immediately treated by the vet unit but sadly later died from its severe injuries. Throughout 2014 these dedicated Anti-Poaching units have once again risked their lives in the field against armed poachers and poaching syndicates, yet despite many successes in apprehensions and recoveries, the Tsavo Conservation Area has experienced some terrible tragedies. On the evening of the 24th April 2014 the DSWT team was once again confronted by the graphic reality of ivory poaching when an entire elephant family was gunned down in one foul blow on a ranch south of Tsavo East National Park. The Trust’s aerial unit was at the scene at daylight the following morning along with KWS rangers who immediately followed up footprints and all leads to try to catch the perpetrators of this crime. KWS has worked hard throughout 2014 responding rapidly to reported cases and their efforts seemed to be bearing fruit, with incidents of poaching being less towards the end of the year. Our teams arrested 33 ivory poachers and 53 bushmeat poachers, and removed 3,707 snares along with 194 weapons including poisoned arrows, bows, catapults, knives, pangas and sacks of poison. Arrests and desnaring are just two of a multitude of tasks carried out by the teams throughout the year, saving the lives of countless wild animals.
The new Yatta Team deployed to Meru National Park In partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service the DSWT established a new mobile Anti-Poaching team, named the Yatta Team, which was rolled out for the first time in August 2014. This is a fully mobile team which is being deployed where needed most. Currently this 7-man ranger unit, which includes 2 armed KWS rangers, is operating in Meru National Park, where the Senior KWS Warden requested support to help eradicate the high levels of bushmeat poaching threatening the future of this important ecosystem. Fully funded by the DSWT, this unit operates with a 4x4 vehicle, field equipment and a full camping set-up. The team have all graduated from the KWS Manyani Ranger Training Academy in Tsavo West and have the ability to create a tight security presence in areas being targeted by poachers and wildlife offenders. This unit was made possible thanks to the generosity of one individual and has already experienced great success in apprehending poachers and deterring further illegal activities within the Meru National Park ecosystem. Since its launch the Yatta Mobile Anti-Poaching Unit has made 13 arrests including a number of prominent bushmeat and ivory poachers, confiscated 60 poisoned arrows formed to target elephants and larger game, whilst having lifted nearly 600 assorted wire and cable snares laid to capture a variety of animals from dik-diks to giraffes and elephants. The Kenya Wildlife Service has been extremely cooperative in working together with this new team and the Park authorities are delighted by their results.
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The new KWS/DSWT Canine Unit to be launched in 2015 A DSWT funded specialist Canine Unit with trained sniffer dogs is joining the force during 2015 to complement the solid security measures already in place within the TCA in partnership with the KWS. This new unit will be positioned in the Tsavo Triangle which is in the National Park but a few kilometres from the Trust HQ. This is strategically positioned to ensure constant supervision and ongoing training. It is anticipated that we will begin with creating the infrastructure needed to house 3 permanent dogs and 4 handlers. A customised vehicle will also be necessary. The dogs will be bought in Holland and will be of Belgian Malinois breeding and will be trained with their handlers in Arusha by Will Powell, who has enormous amounts of experience in such projects. This unit will work in close cooperation with the KWS security teams and the DSWT Aerial Unit to ensure effective deployment – a challenging project for 2015 but all permissions are in place.
DSWT/ KWS Anti-Poaching team with recovered Ivory
Retrieving Ivory from a poached elephant
Poached carcass located by aerial survelliance
Poached elephant herd
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Cable snare damage
Cable snare damage
Cable snare damage
Cable snares retrieved while on patrol
Recovered Ivory
Poached elephant
Confiscated weapons
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Anti-Poaching team members
Manyani training for DSWT rangers
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Aerial Surveillance The DSWT’s Aerial Surveillance Unit has seen significant investment and exciting developments this year in both aircrafts and technical skills, which have been rolled out in order to effectively support the Kenya Wildlife Service in addressing the challenges facing the Tsavo Conservation Area. The Aerial Unit is dedicated to its rapid response to emergency anti-poaching activities and capture operations, whilst taking part in daily security patrols, search and veterinary intervention for injured elephants and wildlife, as well as search and rescue operations for orphaned elephant calves and wildlife emergencies. The DSWT now operates five aircraft including a Topcub (5Y-DTP), 2 SuperCubs (5Y-STP and 5Y-WRB), a Cessna 185 (5Y-DHS) and a new McDonnell Douglas 500 (MD 500e) Helicopter, which are all undertaking field work throughout the Tsavo ecosystem as well as within the Lamu District. During 2014 the Aerial Surveillance Unit flew over 900 hours covering over 113,000 kms, which averages at 75 hours and 9,400 kms dedicated to monitoring and responding to reports in the TCA per month. The Topcub and two Supercubs have continued to provide daily aerial patrols and conduct surveys with senior government officials over the TCA across Tsavo East and West National Parks as well as Amboseli NP, the Chyulu Hills NP and the surrounding ranches. Ideal for low-level and slow aerial monitoring these aircrafts are also perfect for sighting reports made by the Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, relaying the exact GPS location of any wild animal in need of treatment to the ground teams who then locate and treat the case. The Cubs have similarly been involved in numerous illegal activity interventions including logging, charcoaling, cattle intrusion, whilst having helped to recover many tusks having sighted a number of elephant carcasses from the air during the year. The larger Cessna 185 aircraft has been operating over longer distances over the last twelve months as it has the capacity to fly faster and carry more equipment and passengers. During the year the Cessna has been involved in many veterinary cases, transporting KWS capture rangers and Field Veterinarians to site cases throughout the TCA with their veterinary supplies, whilst responding rapidly to emergency reports from KWS officials and the DSWT Anti-Poaching Units regarding poaching activities and capture and arrest operations. The DSWT’s combination of active ground field teams and an ‘eye in the sky’ has resulted in many successes in preventing poaching attacks, destroying poaching platforms and hides, apprehending a number of poaching offenders and recovering tusks, whilst saving the lives of many injured elephants and other wildlife species due to poaching incidents. The biggest challenge of this project is working in such a vast area and within such tough conditions yet with the four fixed wing aircrafts and a helicopter, which are all ideally suited to different tasks, the aerial unit is effectively and efficiently overcoming many challenges.
A Helicopter Joins The DSWT Team A McDonnell Douglas (MD 500e) helicopter was launched at the DSWT’s Kaluku airfield in Tsavo East on the 1st July 2014, thanks to the loyal and dedicated support of the Trust’s Patron Kristin Davis alongside many individual donors whose contributions through the U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust made this dream a reality. This exciting new addition to the DSWT’s Aerial Surveillance Unit, based at the Trust’s field headquarters in Tsavo, will cover the greater Tsavo ecosystem and is ideal for rapid response to any reports or incidents requiring immediate attention. With a short rotor and tail, high skids and a turbo shaft engine achieving 130 knots per hour; this helicopter is fast and agile, with the capability of being able to land nearly anywhere within the vast and inaccessible region of the TCA. Sporting Tsavo’s colours the DSWT helicopter, captained by pilot Humphrey Carter, reinforces all aerial operations greatly, whilst supporting the many KWS and DSWT ground teams who work hard to keep Tsavo and its wildlife safe during these challenging times. The helicopter is invaluable in locating and darting injured elephants in need of urgent veterinary attention. The KWS Field Veterinary Officers tasked with treating the large numbers of elephant targeted and injured through poaching activities are now much better positioned from the helicopter, which has removable doors, to dart elephant and rhinos, which would otherwise be a dangerous and difficult procedure by foot due to the dense vegetation of the Tsavo area. The helicopter has been deployed on countless elephant darting operations where the Veterinary Unit’s efficiency and effectiveness is increased significantly by its use. Elephants requiring treatment in inaccessible locations are more easily darted and treated with a reduced risk of error and mishap, while elephants darted in open areas can be treated quickly and the vet can take a close up look and make a decision on the treatment necessary.
DSWT Kaluku Airfield
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Dr. Njoroge preparing to dart
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Taru Carr-Hartley
The Tsavo Mkomazi Aerial Census In early February 2014 the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s four aerial surveillance aircraft returned from a four and a half day intensive wildlife aerial count over the Tsavo ecosystem. This census covered a huge expanse of the country comprising the Tsavo elephant population’s range of 48,656km2 in extent, which includes Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania, Tsavo West and East National Parks, the Chyulu Hills, South Kitui National Reserve and adjacent areas as well as the Taita/Taveta ranches and the Mackinnon Road area of Kwale District. A total of fifteen aircraft took to the skies for this census in an attempt to accurately establish the number of elephants within the Tsavo ecosystem in view of the current poaching for ivory trend. During this process other large mammals seen from the air were also recorded including rhinos, buffaloes, zebra, giraffe, eland, and wild dogs. During this count each aircraft spent on average 7 to 10 hours per day flying the 66 Blocks that made up the 48,656 sq. km. ecosystem, taking to the skies at 6.30am and landing just before sunset, having had to refuel at least twice during each day’s flying. For this 2014 aerial census, organised by KWS, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust donated 18,000 litres of aviation fuel for this extremely important and necessary task. The first aerial census on the elephant population in the Tsavo Ecosystem was conducted in 1962 under the umbrella of the Royal National Parks of Kenya, which revealed a total count of 15,603 elephants. A census in 1965 undertaken by the Kenya National Parks showed an increase in the elephant population to 20,300 elephants which continued to grow, and by 1972 totalled 25,268 in number. The 1973 count showed a drop in elephant numbers totalling 22,974; this was undertaken to assess the effect of the severe drought period which ravaged the region during this period. No other censuses were done until 15 years later in 1988, under the Wildlife and Conservation Management Department. This revealed a startling figure of only 5,363 elephants remaining in Tsavo. The poaching holocaust of the late 1970’s and 1980’s had decimated Tsavo’s population. In 1989 Dr. Richard Leakey under the Moi government disbanded the Wildlife Conservation & Management Department replacing it with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the same year an International Ban on Ivory sales was implemented. The KWS conducted their first census in 1999 which showed a recovery of the Tsavo population with a total count of 9,447 elephants. Subsequent counts showed a steady rise in the elephant population with a count of 12,573 in 2011. However, this most recent census once again showed a decline in the elephant population of Tsavo which has reduced to approximately 11,076 elephants.
Flights over Tsavo
Northern area Tsavo East
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Tsavo welcomes rain after a challenging dry season
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The first rains after a long dry season
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Humphrey Carter – Notes from the Field
I joined the DSWT team in Tsavo on the 1st of May 2014 and my new role within the organisation is to fly, manage and look after the newly acquired MD 500 helicopter - a helicopter well-regarded by pilots throughout the world, and the most manoeuvrable helicopter I have ever flown. I also fly the Trust’s Super Cubs when needed, and I am responsible for patrolling the Tsavo Conservation Area in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, providing support to both the veterinary and anti-poaching field teams. I am based at the Trust’s Kaluku field headquarters, which is conveniently situated in the middle of the Tsavo Conservation Area, yet despite having lived in East Africa for nearly 20 years, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to spend time in the Tsavo region. The valuable addition of a helicopter to the Trust’s aviation wing has proved to be extremely helpful in such a vast terrain. Boots on the ground can be easily deployed in support of operations and its versatility has already proved invaluable this year. The helicopter has perhaps benefitted wounded elephants the most, as once they have been first sighted by one of the fixed wing aircrafts I have been able to rapidly transport the vet to the scene and provide a safe platform from which to dart the elephants, which can be a very time consuming task when done from the ground. On one occasion we were able to identify and treat 4 wounded elephants in just one morning. Another advantage of the helicopter is its ability to hover over an injured animal so the Veterinary Officer on-board can have ample time to examine the injury extensively from the air in order to accurately identify whether treatment is in fact necessary. The helicopter has greatly enhanced safety for the ground teams too, as we are able to separate the injured elephant from a herd, drive the elephant to open ground and keep elephants (even recently revived elephants) away from the vet unit and their vehicle. Now more recently with the onset of the rainy season, elephants become increasingly vulnerable to poachers who ambush them from ‘shooting blinds’ near remote waterholes. The helicopter is able to deliver armed KWS rangers without warning directly to these remote waterholes in a short time. When this is done regularly blinds are located, destroyed, and in some cases poachers are caught and arrested - as a result providing increased security for the numerous elephants throughout the region. This year, alongside our ongoing operations with the KWS in Tsavo East and Tsavo West, we have also carried out combined security and veterinary operations with the helicopter in the Chyulu Hills National Park working together with Big Life, as well as in the Amboseli National Park working with the KWS, and in the Masai Mara working together with the Mara Elephant Project. Next year the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust will be launching a new Canine Unit in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service to provide even further support to the anti-poaching field teams operating within this vast landscape. Together with the DSWT and the equipped KWS rapid response team these sniffer dogs and their handlers will have the added advantage of being delivered to remote and challenging terrain by the helicopter in an effort to further help curb the poaching menace. The first 5 months in my new role have flashed by and have been filled with extraordinary experiences. If I had to choose one thing to highlight this period then nothing beats being part of the team darting and treating an elephant such as the huge tusker ‘Satao’ in Tsavo East or more recently the famous ‘Tim’ in Amboseli. It has been extremely humbling being able to be the difference between life and death for such an irreplaceable icon. This is an extremely rewarding job and making that tangible difference every day is what drives the whole DSWT team to work way beyond the call of duty.
By Humphrey Carter
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The DSWT helicopter at work
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Kibwezi Forest
Saving Habitats
Now home to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s newest elephant rehabilitation stockade, the Kibwezi Forest has seen some remarkable developments since the Trust established its role in protecting and managing this special ground water forest in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service over three years ago. Through its strict conservation and protection program the threat of poaching has been mitigated, achieved through the presence of a 40km un-shortable electric fence and a dedicated anti-poaching unit funded and managed by the Trust. This anti-poaching unit, known as the Kenze team, is operated by DSWT rangers working together with KFS rangers who patrol the forest daily with efforts resulting in many arrests and the successful removal of countless wire snares. Considerable investment was made this year in sending three of the Kenze DSWT rangers for further training with the Kenya Wildlife Service at the Manyani Field Training Academy. All three rangers successfully completed the course and have since returned to their duties with improved discipline and newly acquired skills. The fence-line in addition to eliminating human-wildlife conflict in the surrounding community has also prevented illegal livestock incursion, logging, charcoal burning and bushmeat poaching. There are now only isolated incidences of elephants and bush pigs raiding farms bordering the Forest, which is being addressed by the DSWT, by seeking funds to continue the fence north and south along the entire Eastern side of the Chyulu Hills from where the fence now terminates. Regular forest fires in the Chyulu Hills also pose a significant threat to Kibwezi Forest on an annual basis and as a precautionary measure the DSWT diligently maintains roads as firebreaks by clearing them frequently to prevent the growth of long grass, encroaching vegetation as well as fallen trees. These security and protection measures have had a dramatic effect on biodiversity within the Forest in general. Many wild species are now thriving where previously they had almost disappeared and numerous elephants have started seeking refuge in the reserve. The improved health of the Forest is expected to have an effect on the population of other endangered species over time, such as the rock python and white-backed vulture, which both rely on other animals for food. Despite successes in rehabilitating the Forest, human development comes at a price and has consequences which fall outside the powers of the DSWT’s protection. These threats against the Reserve include the exploitation of the springs, tree hungry powerlines and a developing railway. The DSWT is doing everything in its power to protect the fresh water springs within the Forest, which is a lifeline for not only the Forest itself, but for the greater human population bordering this vital water catchment area. Yet despite the clear importance of utilising this water resource sustainably, the springs are now subject to flagrant exploitation by outside forces. Last year the Trust reported that four major pools in the wetland,which are supplied by the spring, had dried up. Since then large amounts of vegetative loss have occurred in and around the wetland, whilst many large acacias lining the marsh have begun to die and collapse. What used to be a swamp is now a field of dried-up reeds and the wetland which once supported literally thousands of insects, amphibians, birds, plants and mammals is seeing species dying off en masse. It cannot be over-emphasised how important it is to address the excessive off-take of water at the spring before it is too late and
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the DSWT will continue to search for solutions to this worrying trend. Similarly, working against the natural balance of the Forest, is the placement of a national power line, which has cut through a large section of virgin forest within the Kibwezi Reserve, felling hundreds of indigenous trees and threatened plant species. This loss of forest will be exacerbated when plans for the new standard gauge railway will see it cut through the northern part of the Forest adjacent to the Mombasa highway leaving only a small sliver of forest on that side of the road. Between this and the power line, a huge quantity of trees will have to be hacked down. Although the reduction in human interference has led to a miraculous recovery of the Forest, the DSWT has taken measures to accelerate this rehabilitation through strategic tree planting activities in the most degraded areas. This year the Trust has planted 10,000 seedlings employing a participatory approach whereby members of the community are involved in tree planting exercises. In tandem with tree planting efforts, last year’s invasive species operation to remove the highly invasive Prosoppis juliflora from the roadside and within the Forest appears to have been successful, as there has not been a single recorded sighting of the tree in the Kibwezi Reserve this year. To monitor individual animals and animal populations several strategically positioned camera traps are capturing images of animals along footpaths and around the spring. These images are being used to identify individual animals and build knowledge of their movement throughout the Forest as well as to understand population sizes for various species. In addition to our own efforts, representatives from the National Museum of Kenya have also been hosted in the Forest to allow them to carry out important research on insects and reptiles in an effort to further conserve threatened species. Fire wood collection and cattle grazing is an ongoing community right and is regulated to ensure only those with permits are allowed access to the Forest. Previously there was excessive off-take of firewood with over 2,000 licensed head loads of wood collected from the forest every month. Due to these high levels of utilization, six access gates are now manned by DSWT rangers, who inspect permits, types of wood collected as well as numbers of livestock, whilst ensuring that there is no illegal access into the Forest. The DSWT was excited to receive permission this year to build a new elephant stockade in the Kibwezi Forest and has since introduced the first five orphans from Nairobi. Some of the orphans selected are those who suffer from disabilities that might make it difficult for them to survive in Tsavo East where intense heat and lack of abundant vegetation would necessitate walking long distances. Encouragingly, since the orphans’ arrival wild elephants are now visiting the stockade at night, and in time the orphans will naturally integrate with these wild herds moving through the Forest and into the Chyulu Hills. Another program of the Trust, in conjunction with the American Government, is an international sponsorship program offering Kenyans the opportunity to go and study in the USA. So far the DSWT has nominated 3 teachers for this program and the first has already returned whilst the other two will remain in the United States for a period of one year. The teachers come from the Kibwezi and Mtito areas and will return to these areas with a wealth of knowledge and experience to pass on to their peers.
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Chyulu Hills National Park
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Project Amu - Lamu District
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Project Amu & Witu Forest
2014 began very positively with great success in achieving wide support and recognition for the work being undertaken by the Trust on Amu Ranch from communities, government agencies and conservation stakeholders alike. With the success of receiving the management rights from the Kenya Forest Service to protect the Witu Forest Reserve, which lies within the greater Lamu conservation area adjoining Amu Ranch, the DSWT is now proud to be part of an even greater community movement to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Lamu County. Established with the formation of the community-led Lamu Conservation Trust (LCT) with full support of the DSWT, ‘Project Amu’ was the foundation of this greater vision to ensure the conservation of Kenya’s remarkable northern coastline including diverse coastal forests and habitats, whilst the indigenous communities are supported in protecting their wildlife and land for future generations. Since its inception over 4 years ago Project Amu has been working to establish a solid infrastructure and security platform, whilst expanding a security presence over adjoining community ranches, such as the Witu Livestock Cooperative Group, who during 2014 also chose to adopt this united conservation effort in order to protect their land and wildlife and effectively their livelihoods. Due to new and enhanced security measures the Project Amu team has been witnessing significant increases in wildlife numbers, especially plains species such as topi and zebra, which in turn has created a rise in the numbers of predators such as lions and leopards. Since being established Project Amu can now proudly claim that over 90% of poaching and logging has been curbed within the ranch, but the threat to the bordering ranches and community lands is still a very real concern, that must be addressed immediately. During the year Project Amu completed the construction of a new ranger outpost, named Milihoi, established in the south-west corner of Amu Ranch, to address bushmeat poaching, logging and illegal intrusion. A new anti-poaching ranger team including Kenya Police Reservists was formed to run this new base and start immediate patrols of the area in support of the security efforts based at Farouk’s Camp, the headquarters on the Ranch. As part of this increase in security patrols during 2014 the DSWT enrolled 10 community rangers from the Lamu District into the Kenya Wildlife Service’s renowned Manyani Training Academy in Tsavo West. During this intensive 3-month paramilitary training course, these men were taught the skills they need in order to operate safely and effectively on Amu Ranch and the surrounding areas. Having successfully graduated from the program all the rangers are now working with armed KPR and KDF officials in the field. With these two security posts established, the dedicated anti-poaching teams have been active in apprehending a number of notorious bushmeat poachers and gangs operating within the Amu area who were using motorbikes to hunt buffalos, zebras, antelope and similar species - all to satisfy the commercial bushmeat trade. During these patrols and joint ambushes in cooperation with armed Kenya Police Reservists, the Project Amu team has also been investing time and energy into providing protection over the small herds of elephants still remaining in the Lamu area, whilst removing snares and traps laid by poachers to capture wild animals and preventing further intrusion into the protected areas. During the past year the team has also worked with the DSWT’s Mobile Veterinary Units and Sky Vet program on several occasions in reporting cases of injured wild animals requiring urgent veterinary treatment. One particular case proved to be incredibly successful. Through effective teamwork Veterinary Officer Dr. Poghon was flown from Tsavo to Lamu to treat a young adult elephant that had been sighted with a snare around its leg, brutally severing through skin and bone. After the team trekked through dense bush, the elephant was located, darted and treated, and the snare removed leaving the patient with a positive prognosis. The Project Amu team continued to monitor this elephant after his treatment and was satisfied to report that he was recovering well. He has since re-joined his herd in the depths of the forests of Lamu. Yet despite these great steps forward in protecting the wildlife and habitat of Amu Ranch, the DSWT, LCT and the wider conservation community were saddened and shocked by an attack on the new Milihoi security outpost on the evening of the 7th July 2014, when the camp was calculatedly burnt down. This event was a great tragedy as Milihoi had been operating
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Coastal Topi - Amu Ranch
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 successfully, contributing tremendously in extending protection over the ranch. Fortunately the LCT and KPR rangers stationed at the camp were able to evade any conflict, yet all the structures and tents within the camp were set alight along with the store, kitchen and washing facilities, whilst the camp’s four-wheel drive patrol vehicle was also burnt. The attack had come during a period of unrest within the district, which had peaked with attacks in the Mpeketoni area on Lamu mainland as well as in the areas of Hindi and Gamba. Hence it has been another difficult year for the people of Kenya’s northern coastline, especially those within the Lamu District who have been living amidst terrorist fears and internal conflict and strife. These troubles, of course, have had far reaching consequences, not least to mention the sad decline in Kenya’s tourism sector. The motive behind the attack was unclear, other than food supplies were stolen. Kenyan security forces have been in full action across the region since this incident in an effort to stamp out the spate of unrest.
settlements into the forest boundary has also threatened to isolate the forest reserve and block the existing wildlife migratory corridors. As part of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Saving Habitats Program the DSWT and the LCT, in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), will now manage Witu Forest (together with Amu Ranch) so as to preserve it as a wildlife migratory corridor, and as a key locality for the conservation of biodiversity. It is also our intention to enhance its contribution to the quality of life of the local community through sustainable utilization of forest products and benefit sharing. With pressure on threatened land increasing as it is today in Kenya, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust feels privileged to have the opportunity to help secure yet another environmental treasure for the future.
A positive outcome of this sad event is that the Kenyan Administration Police and Kenya Defence Force (KDF) have been operating consistently throughout the Lamu Conservation Area and Amu Ranch deploying foot patrols and daily helicopter patrols in an attempt to wipe out the turbulence in the district. These operations have had a hugely beneficial effect on illegal wildlife activities within the area as poachers and wildlife offenders are entirely deterred from entering any protected areas. With government restrictions over the area even community members are dissuaded from any movement without the presence of either the KDF special units or administration police. In the face of these constraints the government and security forces have been extremely supportive of the operations taking place on Amu Ranch and have been cooperating and patrolling with the Project Amu rangers on a daily basis to maintain a high level of security over the area. Plans will take place in the near future to rebuild Milihoi Camp, whilst increased security and preventative measures will be put in place to assure continued protection of this unique and valuable ecosystem and its prized diversity of wildlife.
Amu Ranch
Saving the Witu Forest Reserve
On the 12th March 2014 it was declared that another vital habitat now falls under the custodianship of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and its Saving Habitats program. The Trust embarked on a new Public-Private Partnership with the Kenya Forest Service for Witu Forest Reserve, having signed a long term agreement (30 years) to preserve and protect this unique ecosystem. The Witu Forest Reserve is an indigenous forest area situated in Lamu County selected for protection as early as 1927 and later gazetted in 1962. Over 14,000 acres in extent this Forest is a vital biodiversity reservoir and forms part of an important elephant migratory corridor between the Dodori National Reserve, Amu Ranch and the Kipini Conservancy, and is an integral part of the conservation landscape in this region. Witu Forest is of particular significance for the conservation of plant biodiversity, containing critically endangered indigenous species. Concerted efforts will be geared towards ensuring the survival of these species including protection from harvesting, community education and the establishment of tree nurseries. The future of Witu Forest, its wildlife and that of the local community, has been under significant threat from extensive illegal logging, unsustainable extraction of forest products, illegal hunting, humanwildlife conflict and frequent fire outbreaks. Encroachment of illegal
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Amu Ranch
Witu Forest Reserve
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Peregrine Conservation Area
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust now owns and protects 4,000 acres of land purchased to alleviate human-wildlife conflict along the Mtito and the Athi rivers, whilst also acting as a buffer zone to Tsavo East Park. Regular patrols operated by the Peregrine Anti-Poaching Unit have been successful in arresting a number of bushmeat poachers, with logging and bushmeat snaring significantly reduced.
Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary Peregrine Conservation Area
The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, Shimba Hills
At the beginning of the year the DSWT was contacted for urgent help to save a seriously threatened ecosystem, the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary in the Shimba Hills. This conservancy sits within old coastal forest on the edge of the Indian Ocean on Kenya’s southern coastline and was in immediate need of financial support in order to prevent local land owners from returning their land to cultivation and in doing so displacing large herds of elephants. The Mwalungaje Elephant Sanctuary was established some 20 years ago as one of the first community-owned wildlife sanctuaries in Kenya, created to help mitigate the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the Shimba Hills area, currently home to some 500 elephants. The Sanctuary covers an area of 32 square kilometres which joins the Shimba Hills National Park, of which one third of the forest is government-owned and managed by the Sanctuary on behalf of the Kenya Forest Service, whilst additional buffer land is privately owned, predominantly by local subsistence farmers numbering in excess of 300. Without sustainable funding the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary will revert back to subsistence farming whilst any wildlife and elephants residing within the forests will be chased away or hunted down, creating permanent environmental damage and immediate human-wildlife conflict. To ensure this devastating possibility does not become a reality, the DSWT stepped in to ensure healthy compensation payments were made to the land owners, which will guarantee their continued commitment to preserving their land exclusively for wildlife. The Trust is also assisting in paying the salaries of the Mwaluganje Scouts who help protect the sanctuary and its many elephants. With continued support the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary has a chance to remain as it is - a spectacular forest environment with healthy wildlife populations and low poaching incidents. The DSWT is proud to support this vital initiative, working together to ensure Kenya’s wild places, diverse wildlife and elephant populations are protected and conserved for generations to come. The DSWT already had a bond with this beautiful environment as the late David Sheldrick once explored the area, flying over and discovering a hidden waterfall within what is now the Shimba Hills National Reserve, and subsequently having the falls named after him - the ‘Sheldrick Falls’.
Mwalunganje Elephants
Mwalunganje Elephants
Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary
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Over 400 elephants congregate at the Ithumba Dam Photograph courtesy of Fred Hodgson
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Ithumba Hill
Tourism & Eco-Lodges
The new Ithumba camp is close to completion and has been called ‘Ithumba Hill’. The camp is anticipated to be completed by mid-2015. The original Ithumba camp continues to enjoy a very healthy occupancy, whilst the ‘Umani Springs’ lodge is becoming a very successful addition to the Kibwezi Forest attracting many visitors every month; the revenue of which offsets the forest lease. Additional tourism activities in the forest include the creation of trails and bush walks, a sundowner and stargazing platform on Umani Hill overlooking the entire forest and beyond to the Chyulu Hills, as well as a bush breakfast facility and a camp site.
Additional support for KWS
Nairobi Veterinary Vehicle
The DSWT has donated a new Landcruiser to the KWS Nairobi Veterinary Unit thanks to a grant from the U.S. Friends, which can now operate efficiently within a vast area, covering Nairobi National Park, Kitengela Plains, Magadi, Ngong Hills, Aberdares National Park, Kipiti Plains and throughout the central and southern conservation areas where the current KWS/DSWT Mobile Veterinary Units are stretched to help cover.
Ithumba Hill Camp
KWS Tsavo Rapid Response Unit Vehicle In July the DSWT donated a LandCruiser to the KWS for deploying a new anti-poaching rapid-response unit dedicated to the Tsavo Conservation Area. This unit is formed of armed Kenya Wildlife Service rangers, which will take immediate action on any reports made from the KWS or DSWT’s field units and aerial surveillance aircrafts regarding poaching and illegal activities within the TCA, most specifically in the capture and arrest of poachers and perpetrators.
Fuel For KWS Security Vehicles
Ithumba Hill Camp
The DSWT has supported KWS units operating in the Tsavo Conservation Area by providing donations of fuel, which allows KWS to continue to undertake their security operations in the field even in times when field budgets have been reduced due to the down turn in tourism.
Drilling Of Ndii Ndaza Borehole, Northern Area Tsavo East A new borehole has been drilled at Ndii Ndaza due to the previous one being inoperable and compromised. This is a strategically based KWS security camp within a hotspot for poaching and illegal activities. The new borehole and support from DSWT allows KWS to build a greater security presence throughout this vulnerable area.
Re-Drilling Of Nairobi Borehole In the 1980’s the DSWT drilled a borehole supporting the KWS Central Workshop Gate, which is located close to the DSWT’s Nairobi Nursery. This borehole has since collapsed and was in need of redrilling. This borehole provides clean drinking water for the KWS staff based at this gate as well as being able to provide the Nairobi DSWT Nursery. This borehole was re-drilled in August 2014.
New Borehole and Lister Pump For KWS Voi Hq
Umani Springs Lodge
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During the early 1980’s the DSWT drilled a borehole supporting the KWS headquarters at Voi within Tsavo East National Park which was to also supply the Voi Elephant Stockades. This was a vital addition to the area ensuring that all operations could take place sustainably. The borehole was a great achievement but it became inoperable over the years. The DSWT has since re-drilled the site and has installed a new Lister water pump, which is now operating successfully.
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Tsavo Fence Lines Fence-lines are a long term conservation commitment for the DSWT, as an effective fence needs constant monitoring and maintenance, which entails a significant and on-going financial commitment. Local community members are employed by the Trust in order to maintain many kilometers of Trust funded fencelines, which offers much needed employment and creates further cooperation and goodwill with the communities bordering protected areas. Over the years the DSWT has constructed 63 kms along the Tsavo East Northern Area boundary and for eleven years funded its on going maintenance. A futher fence line of 47 kms has been funded and built by DSWT fencing the Kibwezi Forest into the Chyulu National Park reducing human wildlife conflict in this area dramatically, this fence line is being extended by a further 17 Kms in 2015.
Conservation Bursary Awards & KWS Pilot Training In 2014 the DSWT has financed a pilot’s license for an individual now working within the KWS Airwing, whilst also having financed Post Graduate studies for two KWS personel – one in the KWS Veterinary Department and another in the KWS Security Department, as well as making available DSWT Chief Pilot Nick Trent to assist the KWS Airwing in the training of two KWS pilots one of whom is now based in Tsavo West National Park.
Support For KWS Meetings & Workshops Throughout 2014, the DSWT has provided support to assist KWS to hold key workshops and conferences with a variety of stakeholders aimed at coordinating the work that conservation NGO’s are undertaking on the ground and to develop and Elephant Strategic Plan, which was published last year.
Communities & Education The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust stretches its support as far and wide throughout Kenya as possible in an effort to protect the country’s threatened elephant and wildlife populations, whilst offering support to local communities to counteract human-wildlife conflict and encourage a healthy and sustainable coexistence between communities and wildlife. As in previous years the DSWT has been working to improve the quality of life of the people of the greater Tsavo Conservation Area in particular. To achieve this the Trust has been running year-round community outreach programs, which strive to change the local people’s attitudes towards wildlife through community education, finding sustainable solutions to human-wildlife conflict, capacity building of local community based conservations groups, treeplanting projects and other social support programs. In 2014, the DSWT hosted 75 school field trips (25 pupils and 3 teachers per trip). This was in part made possible after the DSWT established collaboration with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK), which this year saw 75 wildlife clubs formed in 75 different schools in the greater Tsavo Conservation Area. Membership to the WCK clubs, the cost of which has been covered by the DSWT with a generous grant from the Eranda Foundation has benefitted nearly 2,000 school children through substantially reduced entry fees to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) parks, free wildlife video shows, chances to win prizes in WCK competitions, amongst other benefits. Accompanied by a DSWT field guide, school children from Ithumba, Kibwezi, Mtito, Voi and Mwakitauhave been taken for a fully sponsored full day’s field trip to either Tsavo West or East National Park. Additionally, in a bid to improve the learning environment in schools bordering Tsavo National park, the DSWT donated a total of 150 learning desks to four different schools, including assorted text books and sports equipment. In an area experiencing drought for the most
part of the year, inhabited by a community living below a dollar a day, basics such as learning desks and sports equipment for children are luxuries. For over a decade the DSWT has been providing such basics to the schools in the Tsavo Conservation Area to ensure improved education standards. 1,500 tree saplings from the Kaluku nursery were also donated to different schools. In 2014, WCK members were involved in taking care of saplings donated to their respective schools, which saw an above average survival rate of the seedlings as each club member was charged with the individual responsibility of watering their trees.
Elephant Bee-Hive fence
As human-wildlife conflict continues to pose a big problem to both the communities and wildlife populations along the borders of many Protected Areas, largely attributed to an increase in human population and competition for resources such as land and water, the DSWT has continued to work with the Mtito Andei HumanWildlife Conflict Resolution Group (MAHWCRG) bordering Tsavo East National Park, which the Trust helped to establish two years ago. This group’s main objective is to solve the conflict along the Mtito River on the North-Western border of Tsavo East National Park. To establish the species of wildlife involved and the areas which are most hit by the conflict, incidents have been comprehensively recorded relating to all conflict experienced, indicating the location, the extent of destruction as well as the type of crop/livestock affected. After six months of data collecting (between the period of January–June 2014), the Trust established the areas most effected and found that elephants were the species most involved in such incidents. To protect both elephants and the community bordering the Park, the DSWT is erecting a pilot elephant-bee fence along identified farms. This type of fence is the brain-child of Dr. Lucy King and has
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 proved to effectively perturb elephants from destroying crops. The farm owners will benefit from honey sales produced from the bee hives along the fence-line, as well as improved pollination of their crops, while the elephants will be protected.
The Amboseli Dam
The DSWT this year has been substantially supporting the Amboseli ecosystem, on the eastern border of Kenya, where a burgeoning human population and an increase in livestock has created great stress on this key wildlife habitat, especially in terms of water. To combat this battle for water, and in an effort to protect the Amboseli National Park’s fragile ecosystem, the Kenya Wildlife Service made a proposition to the Maasai communities bordering Amboseli that if a water-catchment dam could be funded outside of the Park the communities must cease to encroach into the Park in search of water resources. This plan was eagerly agreed to by the local communities and the DSWT was approached to support the funding of the initiative. During early March 2014 a proposed site for the rain catchment area was visited and explored, situated a number of kilometres away from the Park’s boundary above the KWS headquarters towards the Tanzanian border in an area called Noosidan. The catchment area, which was built to be 4 metres deep and measures 45 metres wide and 55 metres long with a 2 metre embankment and water overflow, was built in a way to offer safe entry into the dam for all animals, both wild and domestic. This dam can now hold significant water reserves for up to 6 months, enough to supply the communities and their livestock, as well as any wildlife outside of the Park, with water throughout the dry seasons. The DSWT funded this vital project as part of our community commitment and we, together with the Kenya Wildlife Service, are hopeful that this initiative will provide relief not only for Amboseli’s local communities, but for wildlife generally, especially the iconic elephants of this region.
Community Eye Mission
Community Eye Mission with MEAK
Community Field Trip
School Visits to the Nairobi Nursery
The DSWT was proud to partner for the first time with Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya (MEAK) in organising the Tsavo Conservation Area Eye Mission, a joint community health initiative which took place during the months of January and February 2014. The core objective of this mission was to combat blindness of local community members within the Trust’s expansive operational area. To ensure that the mission was a success, during a 5-day period in January the DSWT’s field manager, James Mbuthia, alongside the Trust’s rangers, spread the news that MEAK was offering free solutions for eye problems before helping to conduct a pre-screening exercise with trained MEAK staff, who were able to diagnose the signs of many eye conditions, especially cataract related. A total of 3,112 patients, including adults and children, were screened and treated for various minor eye defects, whilst 120 patients were diagnosed with cataracts needing surgery. In a follow-up to the screening, during February 2014 a local school near Kibwezi town was chosen as the location for the surgeries to take place and was transformed into a temporary operations room. The location was chosen due to its central location to the communities where the patients were travelling from whilst allowing the surgical team easy access to the DSWT’s Umani Springs lodge where they were accommodated for free during the mission. The patients previously screened and diagnosed with cataracts converged from all
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3 new classrooms built for Kamunyu School
Elephant Bees Fence
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 over the area for the doctors from MEAK to conduct the surgery. All the villages were represented and all of the cataract surgeries conducted were successful with eye sight restored to each community member. The community members were incredibly grateful to MEAK and the DSWT for organizing such an event, which has really transformed lives for many people, some of whom were completely blind. These remarkable programs are working towards building strong relationships with communities and organisations, working together to protect the lives of the local people, their wildlife and environment.
Schools4Schools
During the year the DSWT introduced a new ‘Schools 4 Schools’ program, which was established to embrace the energy of schools worldwide, harnessing support for underprivileged and undereducated children who live along the borders of Kenya’s National Parks and protected areas within the Tsavo Conservation Area. Through this program the young global community have the opportunity to help improve the standards of education and learning environments for children who need it the most. With sustainable support, schools in Kenya, which can currently only offer their children the most basic of educations with few resources or facilities, can be donated desks, teacher and student learning materials and resources, sports equipment, wildlife film shows and National Park field trips. Such simple things, taken for granted in most schools worldwide, truly can have a life-changing impact on the lives and futures of these children. If you are with a school, or know of a school that would like to be involved in this program, please do get in touch by sending an email to info@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org and referencing ‘Schools 4 Schools’ in the subject line.
Kamunyu School Development
The DSWT this year has been focusing efforts on providing increased support to the schools within the Trust’s Peregrine Conservation Area bordering Tsavo East National Park. With a very generous donation, funds were dedicated to building three new high standard classrooms for the children and staff of Kamunyu in support of creating a better learning environment and promoting the importance of wildlife conservation. These new classrooms come after previous support over the years, which include desk donations, sports equipment, film shows, tree donations, and the chance for the children to spend a field day in either Tsavo East or West National Parks. Within three months construction of Kamunyu Primary School’s new classrooms were completed in July 2014. Previously the school had an inadequate number of poorly built classrooms for the high number of children enrolled. These conditions forced children to learn in cramped and uncomfortable mud-built structures taught by teachers lacking the space and facilities needed to teach in a healthy learning environment. These new classrooms have been built solidly to offer a cooler, lighter and more comfortable space for the children with large windows, solid flooring and high ceilings.
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
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Working with communities bordering the Tsavo Conservation Area Photograph courtesty of Van Young
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DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Elephants & Ivory (Campaigning) Whilst growing awareness of the plight of Africa’s elephants is felt the globe over, helped in part by campaigning by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s iWorry campaign, the elephants still faced several challenges in 2014 as the extent of the slaughter was made starker, and the role of corruption in facilitating the ivory trade came to the fore. Elephant killings continue, with demand from China and the Far East not yet abating. It was revealed that across Africa, over 100,000 elephants were estimated to have been killed by poachers for their ivory in the past three years, with Central Africa losing 64% of its elephants in a decade alone. Particularly hard hit was Tanzania’s Selous National Reserve; once home to the greatest population of elephants in the entire East African region. Their numbers have shrunk even more from over 100,000 to just 13,000 at last count. The rampant poaching which has brought about a drastic decline in numbers means the Reserve has been put on Unesco’s World Heritage Sites danger list, but comes as no surprise when one considers that two-thirds of its elephants have been poached in the last five years. Further south in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, authorities announced poachers had killed their first elephant in more than a decade within the historic park boundaries, whilst the cruel methods used by poachers received much publicity, after another four elephants were poached in Zimbabwe. Killed by cyanide poisoning, their deaths showed that the poacher’s deadly arsenal of weapons continues to expand. In Kenya meanwhile, the Tsavo Aerial Census took to the skies, undertaken with aerial support and equipment from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. It found a decline in the elephant population of Tsavo, reduced to approximately 11,076 elephants. The Tsavo ecosystem, once home to over 45,000 elephants encompassing Kenya’s largest herds, has been hard hit by the subsequent poaching crises over the years. The need for DSWT/KWS Anti-Poaching Patrols has been reinforced as without this lifeline the situation for elephants would be much worse.
Ivory Seizures
Large scale ivory seizures at ports, which indicate criminal involvement continued across the world, destined to feed the demand on the black market. Estimates suggest some 22 tonnes of ivory was seized by customs worldwide, yet with officials presuming just 10% of contraband is seized; potentially 220 tonnes of ivory was trafficked representing many thousands of slain elephants. In worrying reports, the highest echelons of Government were also indicted to be involved in the illegal ivory trade when in November, the Environmental Investigation Agency implicated Tanzanian and high ranking Chinese Government officials in the illegal ivory trade, with allegations that officials are utilising their diplomatic status to smuggle ivory out of Tanzania to China. Numerous law enforcement officials in other countries were also arrested in possession of ivory whilst in November, it was revealed that over one tonne of ivory from Uganda’s Government stockpiles had been stolen, prompting the suspension of top Ugandan officials.
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CITES inaction
If elephants and rhinos are to be saved, all ivory and rhino horn must to be outlawed completely. Only by eliminating the demand and increased deterrent punishments for poachers and smugglers will these two environmentally crucial species be retrieved from the path to extinction. CITES (Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) continued failure to put species protection before trade reveals the organisation’s failure to rise above demand-focused arguments by pro-trade states, and does little to help protect the species. 2014 has however, also seen many positive strides taken in the protection of our charismatic pachyderm, the elephant, from the terrible ivory trade, thanks to growing international awareness of their plight. Ivory crushes, legislation and increased international commitment may not have immediate tangible benefits but by targeting consumer demand and law enforcement, their benefits will be felt for the species in the long term.
Ivory Crushes
The destruction of ivory sends a strong message to the world that countries will not tolerate an illegal trade that threatens not only the future of elephants, but claims human lives, funds terrorist activities and affects the economies and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people across Africa. Following the destruction by the USA of their six tonne ivory stockpile in 2013, the start of 2014 saw numerous countries committing to take a symbolic stance against the illegal ivory trade and destroy their own stockpiles. Beginning in January, China symbolically crushed 6 tonnes of ivory, attended by the CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon and not long after, Hong Kong announced it would incinerate 29.6 tonnes of ivory in batches between May 2014 and 2015 - actions that received substantial media coverage worldwide, and spurred on further crushes by Governments. France became the first European country to destroy its two tonne stockpile of seized ivory in February 2014, followed by Belgium in April 2014.
Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference
Hosted by HRH Duke of Cambridge, HRH Prince Charles and the UK Government, the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade saw senior representatives from more than 40 Governments in attendance, demonstrating an awareness that the illegal trade in wildlife warrants top-level Government attention. Focused on examining the extent of the illegal ivory trade, leaders from Botswana, Gabon, Chad and Tanzania pledged to honour a 10-year moratorium on sales of ivory, and all delegates pledged commitments for practical steps to end the illegal trade in rhino horn, tiger parts and elephant tusks. The Elephant Protection Initiative also proposed to secure new funding from private and public sources for the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan, which outlines actions African range countries must take to conserve elephants in their range.
Domestic ivory bans
The USA has taken the lead worldwide in implementing bans on domestic sales of ivory following an Executive Order enacted by President Obama in 2013 which gave directives to combat wildlife
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014 trafficking. Following vigorous campaigning, in June, New Jersey signed into law legislation to fully ban both the import and in-state sale of both ivory and rhino horn and this was swiftly followed by New York in August. New York in particular has seen active campaigning against the ivory trade since it was host to our iworry campaign’s first International March for Elephants in 2013, and many campaign supporters have worked tirelessly to see this enacted. Government agencies within the US also tightened restrictions on wildlife products, most notably the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which announced a suspension on imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies taken in Tanzania and Zimbabwe during 2014. Citing questionable management practices, a lack of effective law enforcement and weak governance, which have left elephants at the hands of uncontrolled poaching, the ban has faced stiff protestations from both countries but remains in place for a year, or upon information that demonstrates an improved situation for elephants in these particular countries.
Declarations of Support
Notable public figureheads have publically taken on the mantle to protect African Elephants, including China’s world famous basketball player, Yao Ming, now a member of China’s parliament who delivered a petition to the government with the objective of completely banning the ivory trade. Whilst China’s ivory market remains in place, home-grown advocates have spoken up including 36 leaders of China’s biggest businesses who pledged not to buy ivory and to encourage their friends, family, and employees to not purchase ivory products.
Legislation with teeth
Closer to home in Kenya, the much awaited new Wildlife law, the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013 came into effect in 2014 and promised stricter sentencing for poachers and those in possession of illegal ivory, with minimum fines of Ksh1 million (US$11,000) or 5 years imprisonment, with the most serious offenders risking life imprisonment and a fine of Ksh 20 million (US $223,000). Within weeks, the new law was put into practice when a Chinese National, Tang Yong Jian, was caught attempting to smuggle an elephant tusk out of the country. Under the new law, he was found guilty of ivory smuggling and fined Ksh 20 million
(US$233,000) or seven years in jail if unable to meet the fine. Unfortunately since that landmark ruling, there have been a number of weaker sentences, as defence lawyers take advantage of technicalities to successfully avoid hard sentencing for clients, putting the spotlight on the need for magistrates and lawyers to fully understand and implement the new legislation. Kenyan NGOs, including the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust have subsequently been hosting events and workshops throughout 2014 to educate and train magistrates in the new legislation to ensure poachers, ivory smugglers and others involved in the ivory trade feel the full force of the law.
Efforts were made in 2014 however to draw worldwide attention to the plight of rhinos and secure greater public and financial support for the survival of the species, among those the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, which brought tens of thousands of people to the streets in cities across the globe and public statements and public service announcements by Chinese basketball player Yao Ming, actor Jackie Chan and HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
Globally, steps to place wildlife crime on the same level as human trafficking and drug trafficking, demonstrating an understanding of the increasing involvement of organised criminal groups, presented a positive step forward, and should in the future allow international law enforcement agencies to focus on ending the trade.
The Rhinos
The plight of Africa’s rhinos took a nose dive throughout the year, as demand from Vietnam and other Far Eastern Countries continued taking a brutal toll on the continent’s pre-historic and revered species. In South Africa, over 1,215 rhinos were reportedly poached for their horn, up from 1,004 in 2013, which to that point had been the highest level of poaching ever recorded, whilst in Kenya, more than 22 rhinos were killed leaving an estimated 1,037 rhinos remaining in Kenya’s National Parks and private conservancies. This includes an attack on the highly secure Ol Jogi ranch which killed four rhinos, highlighting that much more needs to be done internationally and we cannot rely solely on ‘boots on the ground’ to protect the species. Poached for their horns, falsely believed to cure all manner of ailments and diseases, including cancer, Africa’s rhino numbers are precariously low. In total, estimates place the black rhino population at less than 5,000, and the Southern white rhino population is estimated at 20,000 so the possibility of extinction is ever closer. In October, Kenyan conservancy Ol Pejeta lost one of its four Northern White Rhinos to natural causes, leaving the total population at only six individuals. Just two months later, one of those six, a male named Angalifu died in San Diego Zoo from apparent ailments related to old age.
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Special Thanks Orphans’ Project AGA ABAXIS Boscovic Air Charters Care for the Wild International Care for the Wild Germany Eranda Foundation Forsava Elefanterna Jeffrey Howard of the Tibetan Singing Bowls Judith Kaplan RSF Social Finance Linda Chambers for garnet and quartz singing bowls Pengo Life Project Rene & Elisabeth Dahan Rettet die Elephanten The Dharmaraj Family Fund / Satish and Smita Dharmaraj Verein Der Elefanternfreunde Vicky Stone and Mark Deeble Vrienden Van De Olifant Veterinary Projects East African Air Charters Jorge Perez Companc Lori Price Minara Foundation The Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Charitable Trust Vier Pfoten Yellow Wings Anti-Poaching Projects AGA Eden Wildlife Trust IFAW Lori Price Mactaggart Third Fund Nabu Serengeti Foundation Vier Pfoten Corporate Sponsors ABC Home Adventure Power Sports Andrew Harper Travel Barmy Dog Clothing British Airways Chantecaille Crew a La Mode East African Canvas Figue Finlays FLOAT FOX International Channels Google Grants Ghurka Incentive FM J. Crew Kathy Kamei Lina Noel Love Brand & Co. Metage Capital Ltd RSF Social Finance Sudsey Sweet Treats Bath Bakery Soaps Swissport (Kenya) Williamson Fine Tea Wisla Narrow Fabrics
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Foundations and Trusts Bodhi Tree Foundation ‘SAFE’ California Community Foundation Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund Försvara Elefanterna Fredman Family Foundation Harriet E. Pfleger Foundation Hollis Stern Charitable Fund Lombard Charitable Trust Maue Kay Foundation Rolf and Elizabeth Rosenthal Family Fund The Argus Fund The Body Shop Foundation The Charles Engelhard Foundation The Cornwall Trust The Elephant Society The Eranda Foundation The Scoob Trust Foundation The Sistars Foundation The Ward Family Fund The William J. J. Gordon Family Foundation Waves Charitable Trust Special Thanks to these Individuals/Groups Kristin Davis (DSWT Patron) Alexa Renehan Alexandra Spyratos Andrew Longstaff Candice Stern Christopher Green Double Elephant Eleanor Laubly Flora Feigenspan Gilda Castro Rios Greg and Susan Sume Jennifer Feraday Jerim Brandalise John Gledhill Laura Robertson Linda Rodgers Liora Art Marjorie Brazelton Michael J. Calnan Mike Foster Mr and Mrs Peacock Nancy Camp Pam Donavan Pamela Chesonis Pario One Pop & Zebra Sean Michael Our further thanks to all the volunteers assisting the charity, at events and with administrative tasks and to all our foster parents and donors the world over - together we are saving wild lives.
DSWT NEWSLETTER 2014
Online donations can be made directly through the website
WWW.SHELDRICKWILDLIFETRUST.ORG
If you would like to contact the Trust to find out more about a specific issue, to make a donation or for any other reason, please use the details below: KENYA The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust P.O.Box 15555 Mbagathi, 00503 NAIROBI KENYA Email: info@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org Telephone : +254 (0) 202 301 396 +254 (0) 733 891 996
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a charity registered in the U.K. Charity No 1103836. Donations to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust by U.K. taxpayers can be gift aided. A printable Gift Aid Declaration form can be found on the U.K. page of the “How to Donate” section on the DSWT’s website.
UK The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust 2nd Floor 3 Bridge Street Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8BL Telephone: +44 (0) 1372 378 321 Email: infouk@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
The U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt ‘Public Charity’ to which contributions, gifts and bequests are deductible for U.S. income, gift and estate taxes. Checks can be made out to U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
USA U.S. FRIENDS OF THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST 201 N. Illinois Suite 1600 South Tower Indianapolis IN, 46204. USA Telephone: (317) 610-3245 Email: infous@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
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THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST P. O. Box 15555 Mbagathi, Nairobi, 00503 Kenya Tel: +254 (0) 733 891 996, +254 (0) 20 230 1396 Email: info@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org Website: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
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