NOVEMBER 2024
9 Cases in November 6 Poaching Cases 5 Elephant Cases
November Report by Dr. Campaign Limo
The conservation area had good precipitation all through, the natural water pans in the area collected enough water with grazers and browsers having plenty of food.
The Unit attended to 9 cases, 5 of which were elephants. There was one postmortem of an elephant which was deemed natural, the other elephant cases were 3 arrow injuries and 1 snared juvenile; all were given a good prognosis. The Unit also attended to 1 snared zebra and 1 giraffe with a deep spear wound as well as 1 lion treated for fight injuries and collared a second lion to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Acknowledgement
TMVU would like to appreciate all stakeholders that aided in reporting cases that required veterinary intervention. Special thanks to the KWS and SWT for the technical advice and continuous facilitation of the unit.
Case Details
SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit Treatment Locations
November 2024
Elephant
Postmortem
Manyani Gate, Tsavo East NP
This cow was seen on lateral recumbency on the evening of 1st November, she was struggling to rise and the team could do little as it was getting late. She died overnight and post mortem conducted on the morning of the next day.
Postmortem examination
• Blood was oozing from the trunk
• The elephant had good muscle cover and was in good body condition before death.
• The lung lobes were congested
• The bronchioles were full of froth
• There was diffuse hemorrhage on the lungs with blood in the bronchi and bronchioles.
• The myocardium had paint brush hemorrhages
Cause of death
Acute pneumonia with severe pulmonary edema and diffuse hemorrhage as a result of bursting of capillaries Asphyxiation as a result of severe pulmonary edema.
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This injured bull was spotted by the SWT pilot during routine patrols, he had a wound on the right flank area. TMVU was notified and responded immediately to investigate.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
This bull was successfully immobilized using 20mg of etorphine hydrochloride delivered remotely in a 3cc Dan inject dart. Darting was done from the vehicle, and it took 9 minutes for full anaesthesia to be achieved.
Examination revealed an arrow wound on the right flank that was oozing pus, on probing the wound a metallic foreign body was felt deep in the wound. The foreign body was carefully retrieved and identified to be an arrowhead. The wound was thereafter cleaned and debrided, flushed with Hydrogen peroxide rinsing with water and infused with Iodine. Antibiotic pessaries were introduced to the wound followed by topical antibiotic spray. Additionally the bull also received shots of amoxicillin antibiotics and flunixin antiinflammatory medication parenterally.
Relocation, revival and prognosis
The bull was revived from anaesthesia with a good prognosis.
Elephant Arrow
This injured elephant was spotted by the SWT pilot during routine patrols, he was limping and had a wound on the distal right fore limb.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
He was immobilized using 18mg of Etorphine delivered remotely in a 3cc Dan inject dart. Darting was done from foot and it took 8 minutes for the drugs to achieve its full effects.
Examination revealed a partially healed wound on the distal forelimb, the wound was cleaned and thoroughly disinfected. This was followed by topical antibiotic spray application.
The bull also received a shot of Amoxicillin antibiotics parenterally.
Revival and prognosis
The bull was reversed from anaesthesia using 200 mg of Naltrexone hydrochloride given intravenously via a prominent ear vein, he rose and slowly walked away 3 minutes later. Prognosis is good.
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Elephant Arrow
Ithumba, Tsavo East NP
This injured elephant was spotted by the SWT pilot during routine patrols he had a wound on right flank. TMVU was notified and responded immediately to attend to the elephant..
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
He was successfully anesthetized from a helicopter using 20mg of Etorphine hydrochloride delivered remotely in a 3cc Dan inject dart. It took 8 minutes for full anaesthesia to be achieved.
Examination revealed a deep arrow wound on his right flank. The wound was oozing pus and on probing the wound a foreign body was felt within the wound. On retrieval the foreign body was positively identified to be an arrowhead. The wound was thereafter thoroughly cleaned, debrided and disinfected using tincture of Iodine. Antibiotic pessaries were introduced into the wound followed by topical antibiotic spray. He was additionally given Amoxicillin antibiotics and Flunixin anti-inflammatories parenterally.
Revival and prognosis
He was revived from anaesthesia using 200mg Naltrexone hydrochloride given intravenously via a prominent ear vein, he rose 3 minutes later and slowly walked away with a good prognosis.
Lion
Natural Causes
Bachuma, Tsavo East NP
This injured lioness was spotted by KWS/SWT team in the area she was alone with a swelling at the base of the tail. TMVU responded immediately to attend to this lioness.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
She was successfully immobilized using a combination of 5mg Medetomidine and 220mg Ketamine delivered remotely in a 3cc Dan inject dart. Darting was done from the vehicle, and it took 11 minutes for full anaesthesia to be achieved.
Examination revealed several fight wounds on the thighs and bite wounds at the base of the tail. All wounds were thoroughly cleaned with water, flushed with Hydrogen peroxide, rinsed and infused with tincture of Iodine. Antibiotic cream was thereafter introduced into the wound followed by topical antibiotic spray.
She additionally received a shot of Amoxicillin antibiotics parenterally.
Reversal and Prognosis
The anaesthesia was reversed and hen she slowly walked away 10 minutes later with a good prognosis .
Snared
Teital Sisal Ranch
This calf was spotted by staff at the Teita Sisal Ranch he had a thick wire snare bound tightly around his neck. This was reported to TMVU who responded to attend to the calf.
Immobilisation, examination and treatment
The calf and his mother were both immobilized successfully using 3mg and 17mg of Etorphine hydrochloride respectively. Darting was done from the helicopter for the mother and from foot for the calf. It took 7 and 8 minutes respectively for full anaesthesia to be achieved.
Examination revealed a winch wire snare tightly bound round the neck of the calf inflicting a deep wound. The wound was debrided, cleaned thoroughly, flushed with Hydrogen peroxide, rinsed with clean water and infused with tincture of Iodine. Green clay was thereafter packed in the wound followed by topical antibiotic spray. He additionally was given Amoxicillin antibiotics and flunixin anti-inflammatories parenterally.
Reversal and Prognosis
They were both revived simultaneously using 70mg and 200mg Naltrexone hydrochloride given intravenously via prominent ear veins. They both rose and walked away together 3 minutes later. Prognosis is good.
