THE MOBILE VETERINARY UNIT

Latest Photos from the Field: (View a Gallery of all Mobile Vet Photos for this unit)

Marking the ears for notching photo taken on 3/2/2008	Cutting the snare in order to remove it photo taken on 3/2/2008	Removing the snare which was tight around the lower hind leg photo taken on 3/2/2008	The elephant was missing the tip of its trunk photo taken on 3/2/2008

Latest Veterinary Report for The Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit: April 2008
(below are a few photos from the latest report)

  

Latest Photos from the Field: (View a Gallery of all Mobile Vet Photos for this unit)

Marking the rhinos ears for notching photo taken on 3/1/2008	Pulling the calf out photo taken on 3/1/2008	The snare cutting into the zebra's right hind limb photo taken on 3/1/2008	The spear went straight through the crocodiles abdomen photo taken on 3/1/2008

Latest Veterinary Report for The Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit: April 2008
(below are a few photos from the latest report)

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The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) sourced a grant from a European animal welfare NGO called VIER PFOTEN in support of the KWS Veterinary initiative, primarily to establish a permanent Veterinary presence in Tsavo East National Park. An experienced KWS Vet, Dr. David Ndeereh has been seconded for this project. This fully equipped Mobile Veterinary Unit can now operate closely with both KWS and the Trust’s Desnaring Teams facilitating a rapid and effective response to animals in distress due to injury, sickness or having been orphaned. The service is also extended to Tsavo West National Park and the surrounding ranches and dispersal areas, also assisting with cases from Shimba Hills National Reserve and Amboseli National Park and the Chyulu Hills.

Thanks to a grant from the Minara Trust we have been able to place a second Mobile Veterinary Unit for the Central Rift in the field. This unit will be based in the Mara, but available to cover cases in the Lake Naivasha region and Lake Nakuru National Park and the surrounding areas.

In both areas there is an enormous diversity of animal species. They are surrounded mainly by pastoral communities, but agricultural activities take place in areas. However, irrigation farming is now becoming a thriving economic activity in certain areas and this has further escalated human- wildlife conflict, resulting in injury to wildlife species. Cases of animals with bullets, arrows and spears lodged in their bodies are reported on an almost daily basis. One of the fundamental objectives of these two projects is to alleviate suffering and distress in such animals by treating them promptly when they are sighted before infection sets in and the animals are lost. Previously, much time would be lost before a Vet could be mobilized from Nairobi by which time wounded animals often could not be found, or were found already dead.

Subsistence hunting and snaring for the bush meat trade is also rampant in these areas. The most commonly used method is laying wire snares around waterholes and on animal trails. Despite enhanced security patrols by KWS to deter human incursions into the park coupled by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s organised De-snaring initiatives, many animals are seen carrying wire snares. The Mobile Veterinary Units are fully equipped to alleviate the suffering of such animals without delays that have previously occurred.

Surveillance of diseases such as rinderpest in wild species is another aspect of the Mobile Veterinary Unit’s work. In the late l800’s rinderpest caused extensive mortality in buffaloes, kudus, and giraffes and remains a threat although many wild species have developed some immunity. The Mobile Veterinary Units can monitor any outbreaks and make appropriate containment recommendations. In addition, the project will investigate the source of disease outbreaks and institute appropriate control measures.

On occasions a mother is killed or dies from injury leaving a dependent calf. Another objective of this project is to rescue such abandoned and orphaned young for hand-rearing and ultimate rehabilitation back into the respective wild communities where they belong.

Dr. David Ndeereh I was born in 1968 in Kikuyu, Central Province, the seventh in a family of nine. The family had a small parcel of land typical to most families in the densely populated Central Province, and we therefore relocated and bought a bigger property in Nakuru, Rift Valley Province in 1972. I obtained my primary school education at Tarakuet Primary School in Njoro between 1975 and 1983, and my O-levels in Naivasha Mixed Secondary School in1984-1987. I then proceeded to Njoro High School forA-levels in 1988- 1989. The following year, I joined the University of Nairobi's College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences at Kabete for a degree in veterinary medicine which I completed in 1995. A German organisation (DAAD) granted me a scholarship the following year to pursue a Master of Science degree in veterinary medicine, specialising in veterinary surgery. I thereafter worked briefly at the University's veterinary clinic at Kabete before I joined the Capture and Veterinary Unit at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in 2000. In 2003, KWS nominated me for secondment to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who had obtained a grant from Vier Pfoten to establish a permanent veterinary presence at Tsavo East National Park to assist with all veterinary emergencies in the Tsavo ecosystem, Amboseli and the Shimba Hills. Previously, cases of animal injury and sickness from all countrywide locations were attended to from the KWS headquarters in Nairobi, which normally caused delays before getting to the ground. We are now able to respond rapidly and effectively to all cases and we have been able to save many animals in distress. I enjoy practising wildlife medicine because of its many challenges. Each case has its unique challenges and its own learning experiences. I am a member of the following professional bodies: the Kenya Veterinary Board, the Kenya Veterinary Association and the World Disease Association (Africa and Middle East Region). I am married with one child. My hobbies are reading fiction and non-fiction materials, travelling and music (country, R & B)

Dr. Dominic Otieno Mijele I was born in 1979 in the Homa Bay District in Nyanza Province, near Lake Victoria. I went to Wachara Primary School and then onto Mbuta High School. Later I studied a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nairobi. Having completed my studies I worked as a poultry farm supervisor, at Sigma supplies, Ltd. Kitengela just outside of Nairobi. My responsibilities there was monitoring health conditions and productivity of more than 100,000 birds that included breeders, broilers and layers. Instituting vaccination programs at various stages required. Supervising all other poultry housekeepers while developing proper guidelines and protocols for their use, technical advisor to the farm management on issues of poultry feeding and treatments including ways and means of improving poultry production. In 2004 I realised a dream and began working with the Capture and Veterinary Unit at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Since then I have been working as a field veterinary officer charged with the management of sick and wild animals in all parts of the country gaining invaluable experience. I have had to respond too to wild animal desease outbreaks, wildlife desease surveillance, wild animal translocation and wildlife reasearch activities. I have also been involved in the handling and care of orphaned wild animals. In 2007 KWS nominated me for secondment to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who had obtained a grant from the Minara Trust to stablish a permanent veterinary presence in the Central rift. The area of operation for this new mobile veterinary unit covers the Maasai Mara, Lake Naivasha area, lake Nakuru National Park and Ruma National Park. Previously, cases of animal injury and sickness were attended to from the KWS headquarters in Nairobi, which inhibated rapid response. Having a fully equiped veterinary unit specifically dedicated to this area will make an enormous difference. I have always had a life long ambition to work with wild animals and find myself in a unique postion today. My hobbies are surfing the Internet, watching football, reading News papers, listening to music and playing volley ball.

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