In the month of June there was a lot of elephant activity in the area which kept our team very busy. Aside from seeing a lot of interesting elephant behaviour, the Elephant Aware ranger team also averted numerous Human-Elephant-Conflict (HEC) incidents.
On the 4th of June two elephants who had been monitored with the help of our rangers were both treated on the same day for minor injuries likely as the result of HEC. One of the elephants, a female called Nabaina with a very young calf, was treated for an abscess she had had for a while and the other elephant was a young bull registered on the Mara elephant database as M0379 and he was treated for two abscesses on his side. We are very glad that both operations were a success thanks to Dr Njoroge of the KWS/DSWT Sky Vets and both elephants rejoined their herd soon after.
While on a patrol the rangers encountered a herder with livestock close to a herd of elephants on the 14th of June and helped him to move the sheep and goats a safe distance away from the elephants so as to prevent potential conflict.
Human-Elephant-Conflict prevented, an Elephant family reunited.
Later in the month on the 21st of June the Elephant Aware rangers once again helped to prevent another HEC incident. A female elephant and her two calves found themselves trapped within a fenced parcel of land in an area with dense bush on the outskirts of a community settlement. The Elephant Aware rangers responded immediately and found that the mother elephant had already got out of the fence but her calves were still on the other side of the fence which, thankfully, was not electric. After assessing the situation our team decided the best option was to wait patiently for the elephants to find their own way out without becoming panicked.
The female elephant would not leave her calves, as expected, and paced up and down the fence line in search of a gap for her calves to pass through. Finding none, she placed her front foot onto the top strand of wire and instantly snapped it. The older calf then got through the fence but the younger calf remained on the other side. The rangers had been busy keeping people away from the area to allow the elephants enough space to return to their herd which was in the nearby hill. Eventually the mother elephant went back across the fence to comfort her youngest calf and after about half an hour they broke through the fence together and all three rejoined their herd. It is important to note that not every scenario of HEC is the same and each one requires a different approach in order to solve the problem. The rangers kept their distance in this case so as to keep the elephants calm. Had they been more forceful and chased the elephants, things could have escalated and the youngest calf might have been separated from the mother which would have been very distressing for the family. Ensuring the safety of the elephants and that of any people in the vicinity is always our first priority and we are relieved that the outcome of this HEC incident was peaceful.
Later that afternoon we were excited to find Limo – one of the large bulls in the area who is collared and who was in musth at the time – mating with a female!
On the 25th of June, while the Elephant Aware rangers were on a routine evening patrol, they found a bull elephant with a small injury on his right side in an area bordering on community land. We suspected this was possibly the result of an arrow and after continuing to monitor him on Tuesday morning the following day we informed the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust / Kenya Wildlife Service Mara Mobile Vet Unit who were subsequently called in by MEP/Olarro conservancy rangers to treat his wound. Upon examination by Dr. Limo, the wound appeared to be a minor injury which he suspected was likely caused by an arrow and thankfully no foreign objects were found inside the wound. The vet team cleaned out his wound as per procedure and applied antibiotics, afterwhich the elephant was swiftly revived and he then returned to his friends who waited nearby. We are glad that the outcome was a success. A big thank you must go out to the Mara Veterinary Team once again for their excellent work.
A few days later our team prevented yet another potential Human-Elephant-Conflict incident involving a motorbike traffic and a herd of elephants. Luckily the rangers of Elephant Aware were in the right place and quickly stepped in to assist the bikers and our team lead them slowly and safely past the elephants in convoy with our vehicle. The elephants very politely moved off away from the road and we are extremely thankful for the peaceful outcome achieved due to the patience, experience and cooperation of the elephants, the community members, and our team once again!
All in all the month of June was filled with excitement, challenges and wonderful elephant observations, including a number of delightful encounters with Osupat (pictured) whom we have known for 10 years! Though our work to protect the Mara elephants can be very tough at times, the elephants themselves and our fantastic team and colleagues continue to inspire us to keep up our daily efforts. We are grateful for the support we recieve from both near and far, both online and here in the field which helps us tremendously in our important task to secure a future for elephants and other species in the Mara ecosystem.
1 Comment
Awesome work, thank you