The theme of last week was helping elephants out of perilous situations. From saving a drowning bull to relocating a troublesome crop-raider, our teams have been pulling off enormous operations across Kenya.
The first mission, moving a troublesome bull to a more remote location within Tsavo
On 7th June, we embarked on a mission to move a mischievous bull. Working with the KWS and Save the Elephants, we relocated him deep into Tsavo East National Park and away from the temptation of a local community’s farms, where he had been making a nuisance of himself.
Just two days later, our SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Vet Unit received an urgent report from Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy. An elephant had become caught in a dam and was dangerously close to drowning. They rushed to the scene and found the bull struggling in the mud, but mercifully still alive.
The second mission, saving a bull who was stuck in a dam and close to drowning
Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy organised for a grader to be driven to the scene. Given the scale of this operation — he was a big elephant, and very, very stuck — it would take more than manpower to free him. KWS vet Dr Aminga darted the patient, so the team could secure ropes around him. They affixed the other end of the ropes to the grader, which slowly, gently pulled the bull to terra firma.
Once he was on dry ground, the bull was revived. He was exhausted from his long attempts to free himself, so he needed one final push to stand up. The team hooked the rope around one of his tusks, as is protocol, and the grader helped him to his feet. The bull walked off into the bush, strong and standing tall. Only the excess layer of mud hinted at the saga he had just survived.
The third mission, freeing a female elephant from a muddy prison
This isn’t the first time our SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Vet Unit has freed a supersized patient. The week before, they pulled a beautiful female elephant from a similarly muddy mire. She had become stuck on Nannapa Conservancy overnight and herders found her the next morning, exhausted and hopelessly stuck. Conservancy rangers alerted our team, Loisaba Conservancy sent over a tractor, and we were able to successfully pull her out of her muddy prison.
These operations show how collaboration saves wild lives. Without intervention, peril could have turned fatal for these three elephants. Thanks to tireless teamwork from many dedicated players, they now all have a second chance.