DECEMBER 2024
Cases in December 1 Poaching Case 3 Elephant Cases
December Report by Dr. Campaign Limo
The conservation area continued to receive good precipitation, the natural water pans in the area collected enough water with grazers and browsers having plenty of food.
The Unit attended to 4 cases in December, involving 3 elephants and 1 giraffe. The snared giraffe and elephant with impacted colon were treated successfully, whereas an elephant found recumbent that had been treated twice for fight wounds died due to septic shock and the last elephant was a post-mortem case that succumbed to natural causes.
Acknowledgement
The Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit (TMVU) would like to appreciate all stakeholders who aided in monitoring and reporting of the cases that required veterinary intervention.
A big thank you to KWS management for the technical support to the unit and the SWT for their continuous facilitation of the unit.
Case Details
Adult female giraffe with a thick winch wire snare around its neck. Luckily, the snare had not inflicted any injuries
The elephant was off feed and constantly lying and rising. The signs aligned with manifestation of pain which was tentatively as a result of colic
Adult elephant bull found lying down. He had been treated twice for fight wounds and was reported to have been recumbent for more than 18 hours
Adult female elephant carcass found on left lateral recumbency on the side of the highway
December 2024
Giraffe Snared Chyulu Hills, Tsavo
This snared giraffe was spotted by the KWS/SWT team in the area. She had a wire snare bound around her neck.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
This giraffe was successfully immobilized using a combination of 14mg of Etorphine hydrochloride and 60mg Azaperone delivered remotely in a 3cc Dan inject dart. Darting was done from the helicopter, and it took 8 minutes for the dugs to achieve its full effects.
Examination revealed a thick winch wire snare around the neck of the giraffe, luckily the snare had not inflicted any injuries. The snare was cut immediately using wire cutters.
Prognosis
She was reversed from anaesthesia using 150mg of Naltrexone hydrochloride delivered intravenously via the jugular vein. She rose and hastily walked away 3 minutes later.
Case
Elephant
Natural Causes Voi, Tsavo East National Park
This elephant was reported to be off feed and constantly lying and rising. The Voi stockade management notified TMVU who responded immediately.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The juvenile female was successfully anesthetized using 12mg Etorphine hydrochloride delivered in a 1.5cc Dan-inject dart, darting was done from foot and it took 7 minutes for full anaesthesia to be achieved.
A rectal exam revealed faecal content in the rectum confirming bowel movement, the clinical signs aligned with manifestation of pain which was tentatively as a result of colic. The elephant was given Flunixin meglumine anti-inflammatory medication intravenously.
She additionally was given a mixture of liquid paraffin and water per OS.
Reversal and prognosis
She was revived from narcosis using 200mg of Naltrexone hydrochloride given intravenously via a prominent ear vein. She rose 3 minutes later with a good prognosis.
Natural Causes
Amboseli Ranches
This injured elephant was found in lateral recumbency by the KWS team in the area He had fallen on a fence and was unable to rise on his own. He had been treated twice before for fight wounds. He was reported to have been recumbent for more than 18 hours.
Examination and treatment
Examination revealed that this bull had a deep fight wound on the posterior proximal right thigh and another septic wound on the medial thigh of the left hind limb. Both wounds were oozing pus. The wounds were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected then packed with antibiotic pessaries and topical antibiotic spray applied.
He additionally was given Amoxicillin antibiotics parenterally and intravenous fluids.
Prognosis
He unfortunately succumbed to septic shock from the septic fight wounds.
Elephant Post-mortem Kanga, Tsavo West
The elephant carcass was found on left lateral recumbency on the side of the highway by the KWS/SWT teams in the area.
Postmortem examination
• The carcass was in left lateral recumbency with severe bloat
• The carcass was relatively fresh and seemed to have been in good condition
• No external injuries were observed
• Significant intestinal torsion approximately 180ᵒ clockwise with congestion at the site
• The intestinal loops were empty and full of gas
• The stomach was distended and full of ingesta
Cause of death
The immediate cause of death was complications associated with torsion. Torsion caused by gas filled gut which led to increased inter-thoracic pressure subsequently resulting in difficulty in breathing and death.
