The month of December began with busy ranger patrols. The rangers mostly patrol on foot with vehicle support. This allows them to access key wildlife areas which are inaccessible by vehicle. Our team cover a large area everyday as part of our daily work and efforts to protect wildlife.
The photo below was taken recently while on a patrol showing an elephant in a hill following a traditional route not far way from a house. This scene is becoming more typical in areas where both elephant and people live and is a circumstance we often find on daily patrols. It illustrates how communities like this one live alongside species like elephants everyday and depicts a certain amount of tolerance on both sides which is crucial. It also shows the need for the rangers’ constant presence and the importance of the work our team does to avoid conflict and promote harmony between wildlife and humans. The glaring truth is that wildlife is running out of space and it is up to all of us to find solutions for a peaceful coexistence between humans and the natural world. It really comes down to SHARING space peacefully and this is no easy or straightforward task but it is imperative in order to secure a future for elephants and other wildlife.
This poignant photo of a herd of elephants fleeing from people was captured during a ranger operation on the 9th of December which luckily prevented harm to the people, livestock and elephants concerned. The elephants had a brief few moments of panic during the situation but they soon calmed down thanks to the wise guidance of their experienced matriarch, Mayan and partly because they recognised our vehicle, our voices and we believe the elephants knew we were trying to help. As depicted in this scene, it has been very dry and at times the dust was so thick that we could not even see the elephants or the cows and our team had to act quickly on skill, training and years of experience. This incident represents an increasingly common problem that is occurring on a widespread scale in traditional elephant ranges and elephants as well as other wildlife species are being forced to change some of their habits and adapt to living in closer proximity with people than ever before. 
Moving forward finding a solution to achieve a peaceful coexistence which would ultimately secure a future for elephants is not in any way simple but it is possible through collaborative (between conservation stakeholders), inclusive (of communities) and compassionate (towards both wildlife and people) conservation.
After continuously monitoring this lovely female elephant for almost two weeks and reporting it immediately she was treated yesterday afternoon for two very serious spear injuries by Dr. Edward of the DSWT / KWS veterinary unit. The vet team were flown in by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust plane in an amazing effort to help an elephant in need. Once the Elephant was darted and immobilized, we were able to see clearly for the first time that she is a young female in her 20s as she had previously remained in thick bush. Her wounds are undoubtedly inflicted by humans and she is in a very weakened state. In this scenario it was very apparent that there is still no better protective force for elephants than well trained rangers with a boots on the ground approach and though technology certainly enhances these conservation methods, the fundamental basis to effective conservation is pure dedication. The Elephant Aware rangers had to keep up with this elephant in difficult and challenging terrain (in a hill, in thick bush and in a river) for the past 12 days straight. This is surely a testament to their capacity to find and stick with elephants in trouble. This female still has a long way to go before she is fully recovered and the Elephant Aware team will be keeping a close watch over her in the coming weeks and informing the vets on her progress. Because of the urgent nature of her circumstances, we knew that this elephant needed immediate attention due to the severity of her badly infected wounds and rapidly deteriorating condition. In light of that, all of us at Elephant Aware are tremendously grateful to the DSWT and Kenya Wildlife Service for their swift response and excellent emergency service which Kenya is lucky to have and which has given this elephant a chance of survival. After crosschecking we found that this elephant is in fact Naseyian and we are familiar with her family herd. Today the rangers are watching over Naseyian again and she appears to have a visible spring in her step! Her appetite has increased from yesterday which we are happy to see and the strong antibiotics applied to her should be busy working to heal her slowly but steadily. Of course it is our hope that this elephant will heal completely and that she will soon rejoin other elephants.
Some members of the Loilale Women’s Group, supported by Elephant Aware and our partners, pose with individual elephants they have named. This women’s group has grown in 2018 and are continuing to progress through various micro self-help projects.
2018 was a year with many ups and downs, enormous challenges, tragedies, countless long days and wonderful milestones as well. Small triumphs were achieved through the dedicated hard work of our team and in collaboration with our partners.
All of us at Elephant Aware are tremendously grateful for the wide support we receive, for our many friends, excellent partners and we hope to continue our important work in the new year.
Images copyright: Elephant Aware
