As the wider Tsavo Conservation Area falls into the annual dry season water holes have predominantly dried up, forcing wildlife to move to rivers and permanent water sources.  This shift in wildlife dispersal creates a concentration in species along the Tiva, Athi/Galana Rivers in Tsavo East whilst some water holes still support a large number of species in Tsavo West.   

During the month of June the DSWT’s anti-poaching teams who work together with KWS found three elephant carcasses from which ivory was recovered from two of the carcasses.   Small wire and larger cable snares continue to plague the northern area of Tsavo East and the Chyulu Hills area, where over 130 snares were collected during the month.  A worrying trend is the rise in number of snares placed strategically to target giraffe and elephant.

Illegal charcoal production is another threat to these areas, although the teams are successfully deterring repeat activities and actively destroying any fresh kilns. Similarly livestock intrusion continues to be an issue within all of the unit’s patrol zones, yet many arrests are made on a monthly basis.

You can read the teams' June report here: