The rains continued during the month of December creating a quieter period for the teams as the number of illegal activities witnessed during the month plateaued, which was likewise caused by many poachers and wildlife offenders returning to their farms to tend to crops and livestock. 

Despite a reduction in overall incidents the Mtito team successfully captured and arrested an ivory poacher in the Tsavo Triangle, who had in his possession an ivory tusk and a bow and poisoned arrows.  Similarly, the Chyulu team arrested an ivory poacher whilst the Burra team captured 3 bush-meat poachers in possession of snares.  Other arrests included charcoal burners, loggers and trespassers. 

During the month 168 snares were recovered from poachers and collected from the field.  The numbers of snares found within the TCA continue to remain high as capturing the offenders guilty of setting them is a difficult task, whilst finding and removing them from the bush is similarly challenging.

The Tiva team assisted the Mobile Veterinary Unit in treating an injured elephant during the month which had a severe wound to the front foreleg, they were active in tracking the bull whilst they continue to monitor the elephants condition and improvement post-treatment.

The Kenze team worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the DSWT’s aerial unit in a human-elephant conflict case close to the Kibwezi Forest.  The elephants had become trapped between community land and fence-lines and roads, creating hostility in the surrounding communities.  With vehicles and the aircraft, the elephants were successfully pushed and redirected into the protected areas.