SWT/KWS MT. KENYA MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT
JUNE 2023
Introduction
June
9 Cases in June 4 Poaching Cases
Report by Dr. Jeremiah Poghon
4 Elephant Cases
The Mt. Kenya Wildlife Veterinary Unit attended to 9 cases in the Laikipia ecosystem and Mt. Kenya region. The team de-snared a wild dog at Evans Ranch, Northern Laikipia; treated a cheetah with a penetrating wound in the inguinal area at Loisaba Conservancy; treated 2 elephants with lameness caused by a bullet wound and a dislocated right knee joint in the Doldol area and Loldaiga Conservancy respectively; treated 2 mountain bongos for illness and lameness respectively at Mt. Kenya Conservancy; treated a zebra with a serious spear injury at Posta Trading Centre; performed an autopsy on an elephant cow that died suddenly from suspected poisoning in the Ragati area near Mt. Kenya Forest; and euthanized an elephant cow that was sadly paralysed when its spinal cord was damaged by a spear in the Lobarishereki area, Isiolo County.
Acknowledgement
The Mt. Kenya Wildlife Veterinary Unt acknowledges the Senior Assistant Director, Mountain Conservation Area and the Head of Veterinary Services, Kenya Wildlife Service for providing leadership and technical expertise. The veterinary team also appreciates Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) for providing the financial and logistical support that enables the Unit to deliver its mandate.
Case Details
SWT/KWS Mt. Kenya Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations
June 2023
Wild Dog Snared Evans Ranch, Northern Laikipia
An adult wild dog tethered to a tree by a wire snare around its neck was seen by Laikipia wild dog researchers. The snared wild dog was in a pack of about 15 dogs. The wire anchored to the tree was cut loose, but the dog ran away with the snare around its neck. Teams on the ground were asked to monitor the wild dog as the Mt. Kenya Mobile Veterinary Unit rushed to the area
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The wild dog was easily spotted in a bushy, rocky area. It was immobilized with 40 mgs Ketamine and 1 mg Medetomidine Hcl. The dart landed on the shoulder muscle starling the animal that ran for a short distance before it went down after 5 minutes. The wild dog was secured, blindfolded, and moved to a shaded area The animal’s body was then doused with water to cool it down. The wire snare was removed then longacting antibiotics, vitamins, anti-inflammatories, and Ivermectin were administered. The wire snare had not cut into the skin therefore no topical treatment was necessary. Anaesthesia was reversed 1 hour 20 minutes post-darting with Atipamezole Hcl at 5 times the Medetomidine dose.
Prognosis
The wild dog has a good prognosis
Cheetah Natural Causes Loisaba Conservancy
This injured adult male Cheetah had lost considerable body weight since it could hardly hunt.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
Teams on the ground had been monitoring the cheetah therefore it was easily found The animal was darted from a vehicle and immobilized with 50 mgs Ketamine and 1 mg Medetomidine Hcl. The dart landed on the musculature of the right thigh. The drug took effect after about 6 minutes with the animal going down on lateral recumbency. It was blindfolded and moved to the shade where temperatures were cooler. The cheetah had a pus oozing penetrating wound on the perineal area that had become infected. The injury was thought to have been caused by prey (Impala or Grants Gazelle) that fought back. The wounds were cleaned with diluted Hydrogen peroxide, irrigated with Iodine, and sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray. The wounds could not be sutured since infection had already set in. Long-acting Amoxicillin antibiotics, Dexamethasone and Vitamin B12 were administered intramuscularly. Supplemental feeding was advised until the Cheetah gains enough strength to hunt. Anaesthesia was reversed with 5 mg Atipamezole Hcl 1-hour post-darting. The Cheetah woke up and consumed the meat placed nearby.
Prognosis
The cheetah has a good prognosis with supplemental feeding, but it has a poor prognosis without it
Elephant Spear Nanapa Community Conservancy
The Mt. Kenya Mobile Veterinary Unit was informed by KWS security rangers about a recumbent adult elephant cow in a dry riverbed.
Immobilisation, examination and management
The elephant was in a very inaccessible area, and the veterinary team had to walk for about 1 Kilometre to reach the animal.
The injured elephant was found lying on its left side facing downstream. When approached, the elephant was able to move its trunk and its front legs but not its hind legs. An injury on its back near the lumbar vertebrae was observed. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that the wound went all the way through to the spine. The hind legs being immobile indicated a spinal injury that was most likely caused by a spear.
Given the elephant’s poor prognosis, it was euthanized to alleviate further pain and suffering. The tusks were removed and handed over to KWS security teams. An autopsy performed thereafter confirmed the spinal injury had caused hind limb paralysis.
Bongo
Natural Causes
Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
An adult female mountain bongo was reported to be dull, isolated, and not feeding.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The bongo was approached on foot and darted with 4mg Etorphine hydrochloride combined with 30mg Azaperone tartrate. The dart landed on the musculature of the thigh. The drug took effect after about 5 minutes. The bongo went down on lateral recumbency, it was blindfolded, and oxygen supplementation administered intra-nasally.
Signs of pneumonia indicated by nasal discharge and hush sounds from the lungs were noted. Parenteral long-acting antibiotics, vitamins and anti-inflammatories were administered intramuscularly. The bongo was moved to a smaller boma for observation purposes. The next day the bongo developed nervous signs and was treated for suspected meningitis with stronger Cefuroxime antibiotics and intravenous fluids. Blood tests returned negative for bacterial and blood parasite infection.
Sadly, the bongo died 4 days later. The carcass was taken to Karatina Veterinary Investigation Laboratory for a full autopsy and laboratory diagnosis.
Elephant Human-Wildlife Conflict Ragati Area near Mt. Kenya Forest
Community members reported that an adult elephant cow that had been feeding on their crops near the forest edge had died that morning The KWS Mt Kenya team rushed to the area and confirmed the incident before alerting the Mt. Kenya Vet Unit.
General post-mortem findings
The team found a crowd of people surrounding the carcass. The carcass was still fresh despite the bloated abdomen. The carcass was lying on the right side, and the time of death was estimated to be less than 12 hours. The only tusk was removed and handed over to the KWS Mt. Kenya team for safe custody.
Significant post-mortem findings
The abdominal wall was distended with gas. The peritoneal fluid was of normal amounts and consistency, straw coloured and no pathological signs were observed. The spleen had haemorrhages on the surface and was congested. The liver had petechial haemorrhages on the surface and was congested. The heart was of normal size but had haemorrhages on the endocardium. The Kidneys were of normal size with clear corticomedullary difference but with petechial haemorrhages on the cortex. The urine was of normal colour and consistency. Gastro-intestinal system: The stomach was full of feed mainly grasses with some watermelon seeds. The ingesta in the stomach had a strong smell. The mucosal surface of the stomach had haemorrhages
The small intestines were mainly empty with no feed material. The longitudinal colon had feed material with normal consistency. Respiratory system: The lungs were fairly normal and collapsed on being removed. There was froth on the bronchi attributed to struggling and aspiration during death. The trachea was normal.
After the autopsy, hundreds of community members milling around the carcass descended on it with intent to consume it despite warnings from the Vet, the KWS platoon commander and the local chief.
Cause of death
Pathological findings of extensive haemorrhages indicate ingestion of a poisonous substance. Samples for toxicological laboratory analysis were not collected due to the lack of preservation mechanism for the sample and the long distance to good diagnostic facilities in Nairobi.
Zebra Spear Post Trading Centre, Northern Laikipa
An adult female zebra with a long spear lodged in its back was seen by community rangers near Posta Trading Centre. Given how late in the day it was, the team travelled to the area early the following morning.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The speared animal was easily found since rangers were monitoring its movements. The zebra was darted from a vehicle with 6 mg Etorphine hydrochloride combined with 60 mg Azaperone tartrate. The dart landed on the musculature of the rump. It took 8 minutes for the drugs to take full effect. The animal went down on lateral recumbency and was blindfolded to prevent light stimulation. The spear had fallen off leaving a deep penetrating wound on the rump area going rostrally towards the abdominal area. Luckily the wound had not penetrated the abdomen. The wound was cleaned with Iodine, sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray, and covered with green clay. Long-acting Amoxicillin antibiotics and Flunixin meglumine anti-inflammatories were administered intramuscularly while Ivermectin was given subcutaneously. Anaesthesia was reversed with 120 mg Naltrexone. The zebra stood shortly thereafter and joined a nearby zebra herd.
Prognosis
The zebra has a good prognosis
Elephant Bullet wound Seik Area – Doldol, Laikipia County
An adult elephant bull with a severely lame and swollen front right limb was reported by Doldol KWS rangers.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The elephant with severe leg carrying lameness was found in a thicket The Vet approached the animal on foot and darted it with 20 mgs Etrophine hydrochloride. The dart landed on the musculature of the right rump. Induction time was 7 minutes and the animal went down on right lateral recumbency.
The right front limb was swollen and painful to palpate. There was a penetrating wound on front side of right ankle joint. The injury appeared to have been caused by a bullet. The leg was swollen from the elbow area downwards and painful on palpation. The wound was cleaned with Iodine, sprayed with Oxytetracycline spray and covered with green clay. Long-acting antibiotics were adminsiterd intramuscularly and Phenylbutazone administered to manage pain and inflammation. Vitamin B12 complex was also administered.
Prognosis
Anaesthesia was reversed with 400 mg Naltrexone administered through the ear vein. The animal stood and walked slowly to towards another bull foraging nearby.
The elephant bull has a guarded prognosis.
Bongo Natural Causes
Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
The monitoring team at Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy reported a lame adult female mountain bongo with poor body condition. The Veterinary team attend to the case with assistance from the conservancy team.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The bongo was immobilized with 4mg Etorphine hydrochloride combined with 30mg Azaperone tartrate. The animal was approached on foot and darted on the musculature of the thigh. The drug took effect after about 8 minutes with the animal going down on lateral recumbency. The bongo was blindfolded, and oxygen supplementation was administered intra-nasally.
The front right foot was checked for lameness and found to have overgrown hooves. The hooves were trimmed then long-acting antibiotics, Flunixin meglumine anti-inflammatories, multivitamins and Ivermectin were administered
Prognosis
The anaesthesia was reversed with Naltrexone at 20 times the Etorphine dose. The bongo stood shortly thereafter and ran off to join the other bongos in the herd. The mountain bongo has a good prognosis.
Elephant Natural Causes Loldaiga Conservancy
A severely lame adult female elephant was reported by Loldaiga Conservancy rangers.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The elephant cow with serious right hind limb lameness was found near a dam. It was darted and immobilised using 16 mgs Etorphine hydrochloride. The animal was approached on foot and darted on the musculature of the right rump. Induction time was 8 minutes. The animal went down on left lateral recumbency.
The right hind limb was swollen and painful to palpate. The injury was suspected to have been caused by a dislocation of the right knee joint. Long-acting antibiotics and Phenylbutazone were administered intramuscularly. Vitamin B12 complex was also administered.
Prognosis
Anaesthesia reversal was achieved with 320 mgs Naltrexone administered through the ear vein. The animal stood up and walked away slowly.
The elephant has a guarded prognosis.