Elephant Aware 2019 First Quarter Operational Report

The scene in this photo, of a majestic elephant roaming wild and free, is what so many of us in conservation endeavor to achieve for this species and all wildlife. The new year arrived with new challenges and for our team that means a renewed commitment to our mission which is to secure a future for African elephants but this also encompasses the bigger picture of safeguarding the vast array of biodiversity in the Mara ecosystem as well as the crucial wild habitat. Together with our partners we will continue to work everyday to ensure that elephants like Olarriponi [pictured] may also continue to live peacefully in their natural environment.

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Rains in January and February helped replenish the area’s water sources and promote regrowth of vegetation, much to the delight of the elephants and all wildlife. When soft, green grass is in ready supply elephants don’t hesitate to take advantage.

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In the first three months of this year the Elephant Aware team have covered approximately 9050 kilometres (5,623 miles) in overall vehicle and motorbike patrols. The rangers have walked an estimated 6,800 kilometres on their daily foot patrols since the start of 2019!

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“Jamhuri” who was born on the 12th of December 2017 is now over a year old and he is almost twice as big! He is already growing into his own unique character and from what we can tell he is a little handful! Jamhuri is always busy learning new things under the watchful eyes of his mother and matriarch Eseseri, as well as his entire family of elephants!

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Giraffes are another species our team at Elephant Aware works daily to protect and considering the plight of many giraffe populations across the continent primarily due to poaching for bushmeat and dwindling habitat, it is with good reason. The Elephant Aware team have had countless incidents of helping giraffes out of fenced land where they can seriously injure themselves without assistance, monitoring giraffes with injuries and on a few occasions calling in veterinary assistance for a giraffe in need. As one of the world’s most iconic animals giraffes need more attention from the global community and increased support for their protection if they are to have a future in the wild.

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Handsome Oloropilé, an iconic bull elephant of the Mara ecosystem, enjoying a bit of mud on a hot day in February. Because of his age and his experience, Oloropilé is a very important member of this elephant population. He came into musth again at the same time as last year and hopefully that means there will be more generations of elephants carrying his precious genes in the future. We have known Oloropilé for many years and it is always such an enormous privilege to spend time in his awe inspiring presence.

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A tiny newborn elephant born on the night of the 3rd of March in the Elephant Aware camp! We heard a great amount of elephant commotion next to the camp in the night and due to the nature of the noise we knew instantly that something of a celebration was taking place and we suspected that it was an elephant birth. The next morning it was obvious from the stained and trampled ground as well as the scattered remains of the birth sac that indeed the Loilale herd had welcomed a new member to their family. Later in the day we caught up with the young, first time mother and her infant, still a bit wobbly but already slowly familiarizing herself with elephant life.

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This lovely female is called Norkinye and she is one of the elephants we talk about quite often as we have known her for many years. She is very iconic with her almost convergent tusks and “frilly ears” which have acquired a number of notches and tears over the years. To us of course Norkinye is beautiful and not just because of her appearance, she has a fearless and defiant personality which is incredibly admirable. On the countless occasions when our team is privileged enough to observe this elephant family we have noticed how protective Norkinye is of her herd but there are rare moments when she relaxes around us and we get to see Norkinye’s sweet side – she is the proud mother of a young calf and it is obvious how much he is treasured. After spending so much time around elephants in the wild and gaining a tremendous insight into their lives, our team view elephants as unique individuals who deserve their place on this planet as much anyone. Sadly not everyone shares this sentiment and we must all continue to fight for a future for elephants in their natural habitats.

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The Elephant Aware rangers monitoring a large aggregation of more than 100 elephants on the 11th of March. Shortly before this photo was taken a herd of cattle were approaching the elephants, their herder unaware of the elephants and the rangers quickly stepped in with vehicle backup and prevented potential conflict from occurring.

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A GOOD REMINDER TO NEVER LEAVE ANY LITTER BEHIND

On the morning of the 12th, while we were closely monitoring a herd of elephants we noticed this young male with a plastic water bottle in his mouth! He was carrying the bottle with him for a while, seeming to find great amusement in a foreign object.

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We aren’t sure where he found it but we waited and followed him from a distance and when he finally dropped it Ranger Sirere immediately collected it so it could be later disposed of properly. This is a strong reminder of the many reasons why you should never litter and always be respectful of the natural environment.

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Two days later Subat, a bull we are very familiar with, came into the area and we found him in full musth and on a determined mission to seek out any estrous females to mate with in the area. The Loilale herd happened to be close by, though inside a lugga (small riverbed) where the rangers could not see them well. We certainly hope Subat was successful. Being one of the males we have known for many years makes Subat all the more special to our team and it is always a thrill to spend time learning more and more about his life.

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The Elephant Aware rangers are on foot for the majority of their daily patrols and this is an irreplaceable tool for effective wildlife conservation as it allows them to access hotspot areas where no vehicle can venture and to the top of hills which are an essential part of the ecosystem.

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In late March while observing a family herd of elephants we were quite surprised to find Meure (Meyuré) in musth as we normally see him in musth in August. Males in his age bracket can enter into the sexually heightened state of musth twice in a year and as they get older their musth cycle becomes more defined, synchronous with a time of year when there is more food availability. Aside from being a sexual advertisement, musth is usually also a sign of good health in bull elephants.

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Lovely Nelion/Namunyak walking closely past us, displaying trust and familiarity towards our team. She is a member of the Loilale herd who we have monitored for many years. As you can see she has an ‘outstanding’ tear in her left ear which she acquired years ago, we dont know the exact circumstances of how it happened but it appears to have healed and it has become one of her most distinguishing features. We are hoping she will have a little one on the way soon after we saw Meure courting her and staying by her side in typical musth ‘guarding’ behaviour almost 22 months ago.

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In other elephant news Eseseri, the matriarch of the Loilale herd, recently broke her left tusk! We think it happened while she was breaking the branch of a tree or possibly while shoving another elephant. When elephants break their tusks close to the roots or pulp cavity it can be very painful and we therefore hope that this was not the case for Eseseri. Even after breaking her tusk and altering her appearance considerably, to us Eseseri is always a beautiful and wise female who commands the respect of all within her presence.

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Two of the Elephant Aware rangers successfully completed a two week refresher training course held at the nearby Nashulai Community Conservancy in early March and we are all very proud of their accomplishment which is an added testament to the commitment they have for their roles as wildlife guardians.

20190401_153452We are well into 2019 and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our many supporters again for helping us to continue in our dedicated efforts to protect elephants and other species in the Mara ecosystem.

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