In June, the Meru ecosystem experienced uncharacteristically low humidity coupled with soaring daytime temperatures which painted a stark contrast to its typically lush surroundings. The rivers that defined the landscape had begun drying up and its verdant greenery was fading into a somber brown with some areas already reduced to barren earth.
Despite this, there was a notable decrease in wildlife related veterinary emergencies. The SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Veterinary Unit responded to 5 cases in June, one of these cases involved a postmortem examination on the carcass of an adult elephant bull in the Kinna Area. Although the advanced state of decomposition hindered determining the cause of death, it was suspected that the elephant’s death was related to human-wildlife conflict in the region. The team also rescued a female sub-adult white rhino that had strayed from the Meru Rhino Sanctuary and sustained gunshot wounds in the shoulder area. After treatment, the rhino was successfully returned to the sanctuary with an optimistic outlook for recovery. Additionally, the Meru Veterinary Unit attended to an adult male lion named King with a wire snare around his neck and treated an adult male common zebra for injuries sustained during a failed predatory attack. Both cases have a good prognosis. Lastly, the team administered preventive treatment against Trypanosomiasis for a security dog named Packer at the Meru Rhino Canine Unit.