The month of July was characterized by an increase in daytime temperatures and the rapid decline of vegetation cover across the Eastern Conservation Area (ECA). The once green landscape transitioned into dry, dusty terrain, with cracked earth and rising dust signalling the onset of the dry season.
During this period, the SWT/KWS Meru Veterinary Unit responded to 8 cases across various locations within the ECA—an increase from the previous month of June. These included the rescue an adult male giraffe that had become trapped in a roadside trench, de-snared a sub-adult female buffalo and an adult male giraffe, treated two Grevy zebras for natural causes and treated a tracker dog attached to the Meru Rhino Canine Unit. The team also performed a post-mortem examination on an adult elephant carcass, preliminary findings indicated a fatal gunshot wound to the head, and on a giraffe carcass which was deemed natural.