The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) operate six Mobile Veterinary Units. Within the quarter, the Units attended to a total of 165 wildlife cases involving 227 animals
There were 59 elephant, 22 predator, 8 rhino, 35 plains game, 17 giraffes and 10 buffalo cases as well as assessment and habituation of hippos for translocation after they invaded a Sewage Plant and attacked 2 people, whilst another was rescued from a well. Two security dogs were given vaccinations, and a postmortem was carried out on a security horse. In addition, an Aardvark was snared, 19 baboons were collared, a post-mortem was carried out on a civet cat, and 3 Colobus monkeys were relocated from Nanyuki Town and two Ostriches from Mogotio town due to human-wildlife conflict whilst another two were treated for natural causes. 7 honey badgers were also relocated after they continuously attacked bee apiaries.
Out of the poaching cases, there were 35 snaring cases, 22 spear, 10 arrow and 1 bullet wound. Of the poaching related injuries, 30 involved elephants including 17 speared, 4 snared, 8 arrow and 1 bullet wound. Of these cases only 4 resulted in death, 2 given a poor prognosis with the others receiving a good prognosis.
Other elephant cases included relocation of 2 elephants due to human – wildlife conflict cases and another after it repeatedly attacked a rhino fence compromising security. An elephant was speared and another poisoned due to human – wildlife conflict, an elephant was collared for behavioural studies and a calf was rescued and taken to the Nairobi Nursery. In addition, a rhino calf was also rescued and taken to the Kaluku Stockades.
Of the cases there was a 70% success rate and 9% death rate due to poaching or human-wildlife conflict.