January, the month of transition from wet to dry is always a month where the Aerial Unit has to be on special watch for poaching activity around waterholes as Tsavo dries up.   Seven shooting blinds were found and destroyed this month, all hidden in bushes next to waterholes.   As water becomes limited it is at these areas the poachers set their hides and wait for unsuspecting targets. Thanks to constant aerial patrols and follow up from the ground teams, poachers’ activities have been thwarted and kept to a minimum.

Three wounded elephants were sighted from the air this month and as a result able to receive lifesaving treatment from the KWS veterinary officers seconded to the Trust funded Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit.  The helicopter also assisted in removing six elephants from the community next to the Kibwezi Forest. There was a big bull, three females and two calves involved, which are now all safely back in the protected area.

You can read more stories here in the Aerial Surveillance Unit monthly report: