BIG TUSKER MONTHLYOctober 2014

BIG TUSKER PROJECTTSAVO TRUST

TSAVO TRUST’s Big Tusker Project works alongside and in support of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in southern Kenya’s Tsavo National Parks. We work in partnership with Save The Elephants and other donors who make this project possible, including many generous individual supporters.

The TSAVO TRUST ‘Big Tusker Project’ works to provide extra protection for Tsavo’s elephants, with special emphasis on the region’s iconic 100-pounder tuskers - bull elephants bearing ivory weighing in excess of 100lbs (45kg) per side. Devastated by poaching fueled by an illegal international ivory trade and by sport hunting in other parts of Africa, the Tsavo region in southern Kenya hosts the planet’s last viable gene pool of these magnificent giants among giants.

Decades of conservation service to Tsavo: our Super Cub aircraft 5Y-ACE, donated to TSAVO TRUST by Stuart Herd.

Project leader: TSAVO TRUST Co-founder & Chief Conservation Officer, Richard Moller

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OCTOBER 2014: Big Tusker Project Overview

TSAVO TRUST welcomed a new pilot, Peter Lempatu, to join our Big Tusker Project team in October, which will expand our operational capacity significantly. Elephant poaching remained low inside the National Parks, although the surrounding ranches of Galana, Kulalu and Taita remain ‘hot spot’ poaching areas. Another major threat to the integrity of the greater Tsavo ecosystem comes from the new high speed railway whose construction is now underway dissecting Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Combined with the parallel highway, these transport links essentially sever the protected area in two, blocking the transit of wildlife which historically has moved backwards and forwards across what was Kenya’s largest intact natural habitat. On a brighter note, 10 of the region’s big tuskers were observed this month, as well as several other endangered species including cheetah, hirola and Grevy’s zebra. A loose congregation of 500 elephants in Tsavo East and two lions feeding on a hippo carcass provided the wildlife viewing moments of the month. LU1, one of Tsavo’s finest

great tuskers

Giant Tsavo tusker KA1 facing off with two warthogs

OCTOBER 2014 STATS

No. of hours flown 44.5

3,507

79mph

10 bulls

3

4 tusks

Including 2 up and coming big tuskers new to our database

1 natural, 1 poached,1 unconfirmed cause of death inside Parks; further reports of poaching outside Parks on ranches

• Flights carried out with a KWS officer or ranger as rear seat observer, for immediate reporting to ground units for action

• All flights low level• Still dry most places;

small amount of rain in southern area of Tsavo East

1 fresh (unconfirmed cause of death), 1 recent (natural)

Average speed

Miles covered

No. of big tuskers seen

No. of elephant carcassesrecordedIvory recovered jointly by KWS/ TSAVO TRUST

AR1

DI1

MO1

KA1LU1

BU1

MZ1

SA2SA80WS1

TUSKERCODE NAME

NUMBEROF TIMES SEEN DURING MONTH

OCTOBER 2014: Big tusker observations

During October we had 34 sightings of big tuskers in Tsavo. 10 different big tusker bulls were observed, some on multiple occasions, including the giant-among-giants LU1 as well as two new up and coming bulls, codenamed MZ1 and MO1 in our database.

On October 1st alone, we saw no fewer than 7 different big tuskers during a single monitoring flight. It is safe to say that Tsavo is the only place on earth where multiple sightings of big tuskers like this would be possible, for in most parts of their former range in Africa, the big tuskers have been exterminated by poaching and sport hunting.

Poaching inside the National Parks still low

Only 1 fresh and 2 recent carcasses were found during October – one was poached, one died of natural causes and the third was unconfirmed. However, the ranches surrounding the National Parks, which provide important dispersal areas for elephants within the greater Tsavo ecosystem, continue to be targeted by poachers.

Joint response to illegal activities

The addition of Peter Saisi Lempatu to the TSAVO TRUST Big Tusker Project team is allowing us to provide more extensive support to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) anti-poaching operations. Peter has over 1,000 flight hours in a Super Cub light aircraft and much experience of bush flying in support of conservation and wildlife security operations, especially in northern Kenya. (Please see table opposite, listing some of the joint action by KWS and TSAVO TRUST as a result of our aerial monitoring and anti-poaching support.)

Experienced bush pilot, Peter Lempatu Ivory recovered by a joint KWS/TSAVO TRUST operation

Poachers camp spotted by TSAVO TRUST from the air on 16 October 2014. A water jerry can, cooking fire and other implements can clearly be seen. Following our report, a KWS ground team deployed immediately, arrested one man and recovered all the poaching equipment.

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BACK ISSUES

High Speed Rail Link

Construction has begun on a new high-speed railway, cutting the Tsavo ecosystem in two. The contract has been awarded to a Chinese firm, which is importing many of its own workers. Empirical evidence has shown that in the past, construction projects awarded to Chinese firms have caused an increase in poaching, not only for ivory and rhino horn but also for bushmeat (the killing of wild animals for meat.) The new railway loosely follows the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and the existing railway line. The combination of these transport links makes it almost impossible for wildlife to cross over, thereby cutting off historical movement patterns of the wildlife, and setting in motion unknown repercussions for the biodiversity and ecological health of the region in the long term. One of Tsavo’s greatest tuskers, LU1, is known to frequently cross over the existing road and railway in search of forage and water, mostly at night when traffic density is less. What are his chances of getting across safely in future? Even with the current slow-moving train, elephants and other wild animals are sometimes hit. How is the wildlife going to cope with a high-speed rail link?

We understand that both sides of the railway will be game fenced so this is surely the time to identify major wildlife corridors and develop railway “under-passes” to at least allow some movement before it’s too late. Alongside its conservation partners, TSAVO TRUST is encouraging the development of such plans.

Tsavo’s elephants are already under pressure from the road

A massive scar cuts across the Tsavo landscape, making way for the new high speed rail link. At TSAVO TRUST, we acknowledge Kenya’s need for infrastructure development but we are concerned at the lack of environmental protection and mitigation measures incorporated into many of these projects. Ultimately, the health of Kenya and her economy depends on a healthy environment. As a country, we dismiss this reality at our own peril.

Tsavo’s wildlife:under pressurefrom all sides

One of Tsavo’s iconic tuskers, LU1 and his companions in front of electricity pylons inside the Tsavo National Park. In another part of the Park, electricity pylons sometimes kill migrating flamingoes. Photographed 11 October’14

One of Tsavo’s iconic tuskers, LU1 and his companions in front of electricity pylons inside the Tsavo National Park. In another part of the Park, electricity pylons sometimes kill migrating flamingoes. Photographed 11 October’14

Richard Moller BIG TUSKER PROJECT Leader

Co-founder and Chief Conservation Officer of the TSAVO TRUST, Richard Moller is one of Kenya’s most respected conservation project managers and an acknowledged expert in conservation management of endangered species, particularly black rhino and elephant. Richard is a Kenya citizen, fulltime Tsavo resident and Honorary Warden with the Kenya Wildlife Service. A passionate conservationist and naturalist, he brings to TSAVO TRUST over 15 years of hands-on field experience in wildlife conservation, low level bush flying, aerial censuses, anti-poaching, wildlife capture and translocation, and the logistical and practical aspects of protected area management.

TSAVO TRUST works to improve the safety of wildlife and people in Kenya’s expansive Greater Tsavo Ecosystem, the region’s most important protected area and home to Kenya’s largest population of elephants, currently endangered by ivory poaching and the global ramifications of wildlife crime.

We do this through the development of Community Wildlife Conservancies, multi-use conservation areas which address the human factors leading to the destruction of wildlife and the environment, as well as through direct wildlife conservation initiatives, including our Big Tusker Project.

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