The month of September was characterized by extreme temperature fluctuations during the day and at night accompanied by clear skies. Wild animals have dispersed in search of forage and water due to widespread depletion of grass cover, and the drying up of most seasonal rivers and waterholes. Consequently, incidents of human-wildlife conflict have increased, as animals move beyond protected areas into human settlements in search of sustenance.
Over the reporting period, the SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Veterinary Unit responded to 3 wildlife cases, all within Meru National Park. The team treated a male white rhinoceros suffering from a filarial wound and injuries sustained in a territorial fight with a good prognosis for recovery. Additionally, they attended to a male spotted hyena with a wire snare tightly constricting its neck that was successfully treated with a good prognosis for recovery. Unfortunately, in another case, a necropsy conducted on a female spotted hyena revealed she had succumbed to injuries caused by a wire snare that had fatally constricted her neck.