The year 2004 now draws to a close, so it is timeagain to pause and reflect on events over the pastmonths; time too to express heartfelt and grateful

thanks to all who have helped us financially in our manyendeavours this year and to wish all Supporters of theTrust worldwide a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous,healthy and happy 2005.

There are many things of which the Trust can beproud this year - satisfaction over the Trust’s SaaNane House, so named in memory of David,

reflecting his affectionate Swahili name. The Trust Househas brought untold joy to us and all who have experiencedit, in addition to being a useful source of revenue for theTrust in the form of donations from those who spend timethere. Built into a rocky kopje overlooking the Athi Riverwith the Yatta Plateau and the vastness of the NorthernArea beyond, it is all we envisaged and more,incorporating huge slabs of natural rock that mirror thegeological birth of the Park, many studded with garnetsand crystals of quartz. The mellow sound of runningwater in the river below soothes the soul in a hot and thirsty

land and even more soothing is the knowledgethat we now actually own a patch of Tsavowilderness where we can afford protection andunfettered access to water to the land’s wilddenizens.

This year we have been able to purchase additionalland to add to the Trust’s existing holding, and whichcreates an important buffer to another sensitive river

boundary upstream on the Mtito watercourse. Tribesmenfrom whom the land was purchased struggled to scratch aliving for themselves, other than resorting to poaching,so were only too happy to move to more productivepastures with some money in their pockets. Hence thedeal benefited them and rid the Park of a problem!

A wild bull rhino has recently taken up residence on theTrust land which is an exciting event, and wildlifegenerally is beginning to reappear in ever increasingnumbers. Even the elephants are venturing back andbeginning to show themselves in daylight, whereaspreviously we saw only their tracks and then justoccasionally. Strategically placed midway between ourtwo Orphaned Elephant Rehabilitation Centres, andproviding a base from which three of our six de-snaringteams can operate, the Trust House and our land providesa very useful spring-board for the supervision of all ourTsavo projects. It also affords easy access for surveillanceof a forgotten gem of the Park itself, the isolated “Triangle”sandwiched between the confluence of the Athi and Tsavorivers. We even now have an airfield not far from the

house itself, making the acquisition of asmall plane a Wish List priority.

The success of our now six De-SnaringUnits has been another source ofquiet satisfaction, though

tempered by concern at the extent of thebush-meat menace. There is consolationhowever in knowing that just our presenceis an ongoing inhibiting factor for the

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

2004

A well-known matriach in Amboseli National Park called

Odille, is speared in the head. Our Mobile veterinary unit

operates on her and removes the spears, thus saving her life

poachers and that we have been ableto relieve suffering on a massive scale.

Our Mobile Veterinary Unit,which works in tandem withour de-snaring teams, has

accomplished wonders, saving thelives of numerous of animals, bothlarge and small, that would otherwisehave died in unspeakable agony.Responding to needy cases in bothTsavo East and West, the unit alsocovers the neighbouring ranches aswell as Amboseli and the ShimbaHills. We are immensely proud of theimpressive record of this most worthyinitiative and happy to have been in aposition to make it happen.

In all, therefore, for the Trust and forwildlife in general, it has been amomentous year, sadly for wildlife,more lows than highs. The “roller-coaster” events of last year rapidlybecame a “Big Dipper” this year,words beginning with the letter Dfeaturing prominently in discussionson wildlife related issues, particularlyat the field level of the National Parks.

As the months passed, therewas mounting dismayover the lack of field

funding. Far from the Headquartersbeing trimmed to an affordablelevel as everyone had hoped, ifanything the bloated bureaucracy ofthe KWS. swelled even further andmore disconcerting was the re-appearance of wrong-doers whohad previously been dismissed forcorruption and fraud, includingeven rhino poaching and ivorydeals, allegedly even compensatedfor “wrongful dismissal”. Fieldpersonnel watched and speculatedas to the possible purpose of such amove, demoralized by repeatedslashing of their field budgets todefray the Headquarters’burgeoning expenses. As a result,the field end of the Service wasrendered largely dysfunctional,something that was accompanied bya drastic fall in morale, whichwithin an armed paramilitary unitcould prove positively dangerous.Many good people within the

Service became disillusioned andeither left, or took early retirement.

There followed a clandestineattempt to privatise the revenueearning arm of the Service,something that invoked a storm inthe Press and sent alarm bellsringing amongst those familiar withthe record of the players involved,especially in the wake of many othermuch publicised fraudulentdealings which had ignited publicoutcry. Whilst there were manypeople who approved of theconcept, in view of the Service’smounting deficit, the Governmentmoved swiftly to halt the deal,dismissing the Chairman of theBoard of Trustees and doling out adressing-down for his Director.

By now there had also beenchanges at the Ministerial level.The Wildlife Docket wastransferred from the Ministry of theEnvironment to the Ministry ofTourism, followed by a furtherunexpected upset when the newMinister suddenly collapsed anddied whilst on an overseasmarketing trip. Spirits were furtherdampened when in May theKWS’s one and only Helicopter waswritten off whilst ferrying theDirector and other KWS officialsto a function in the Aberdares, (allof whom fortuitously emergedintact) followed by the writing offof the Eden Trust Helicopter, whichhad been on loan as a replacementand had seen long and useful servicein the past.

Then, in May, five Black Rhinowere poached near the Tsavo/Athijunction in Tsavo East NationalPark, a shocking set-back for thisseverely endangered species. Therewas concern over the strategy offree releasing excess rhinos asopposed to holding them in fencedSanctuaries, countered by the factthat confined rhinos with nopossible means of escape weresimply sitting ducks if armedpoachers struck en masse –something that was a possibility ifrhino had suddenly become a source

of funding for Al Queda operatives.The shortage of field fundsprecluded adequate surveillanceand protection of all rhinos, whetherin fenced Sanctuaries or not. Onepoacher was arrested, and the restpursued to the Somalia border, butescaped with their booty by crossingthe Tana river concealed amidst alarge herd of cattle and theirherders.

In all, Kenya is said to have lostsome 33 Black Rhino this year,mainly from Solio Ranch inLaikipia District, which was theonetime breeding stronghold whichyielded most of the rhinos returnedback into Protected Areas fromwhich they had been poached outin the late seventies and eighties.

Decisions emanating from thisyear’s CITES Convention, held inBangkok, Thailand, in mid October,from the wildlife standpoint, canonly be summarised by the worddisastrous - particularly thedecision to allow the SouthernAfricans a hunting quota of bothBlack and White Rhinos. Whispersemanating from within the KWSHeadquarters alleged that the highpowered delegation that went toBangkok to represent Kenya, at nomean expense, failed to get itspaperwork correct, and were noteven accredited delegates of theircountry - a disgrace if true.

As the year progressed, there wasmounting despair amongst KWSfield personnel, exacerbated by theenormous toll of wild animals killedon a daily basis for the illegal bush-meat trade, which had becomecommercial Big Business. Bush-meat was now finding its way to theMiddle East, Central and WestAfrica and even the capitals ofEurope, and was widely sold inNairobi butcheries as goat and beef.According to a recent survey asmuch as 30% of all meat on sale inNairobi butcheries is that ofpoached wild game, despite themoratorium on legal “culling”imposed earlier in the year.

populated suburb of Limuru just outside Nairobi, madechilling reading. Two died tragically in a hail of rocksand gunfire and a third, which became trapped in a pitlatrine, was barbarically butchered alive. Worse still,the culprits of this cruel act boasted in the Press about“feasting on delicious elephant meat” - hardly a goodadvertisement for a Nation that relies on its wildlife foran Industry which is a vital component of its economy.Whilst this did spark a public outcry of disgust, it wasnevertheless damaging for the country’s conservationimage.

Meanwhile, yet again, the field end of the WildlifeService and the animals needed friends as neverbefore, so the Trust has had to be even more

proactive in its support of Tsavo. Regular donations offuel to keep the security wheels turning have been anongoing commitment throughout the year, in addition torunning both six anti-poaching, de-snaring teams on a

By November, the Big Dipper seemed to be at itslowest ebb, when suddenly there appeared the chanceof an upward swing, as has happened so often in thepast when things looked desperate. Following a muchpublicised recruiting scam, the KWS Director wasrelieved of his post, so yet again, we stand poised at thecrossroads of conservation, waiting with baited breathto see who, and what next! With wildlife numbers inthe country down by as much as 60%, it is imperativethat this time round the Powers-that-Be get it right, fortime is running out.

Despite the illegal and unsustainable toll taken of thecountry’s wildlife for the bush-meat trade, lobbying tore-introduce sport hunting remained as tenacious as ever,amazingly endorsed by a vociferous arm of the EastAfrican Wildlife Society known as The Kenya WildlifeWorking Group, something that lost that organisationmany longstanding supporters. However, more pressingland issues emerged to divert the attention of the land-owning proponents and their puppets. Pastoralneighbours, whose patch had been reduced to a barrenwasteland by over-stocking and over-grazing, marcheden masse with their cattle onto productive privateholdings, laying claim to what they claimed as theirs byancestral right, 99 year leases issued by the ColonialGovernment said to be due to expire. Supposedlyinstigated by foreign human rights activists, theGovernment moved swiftly to bring what looked liketurning into a volatile and dangerous situation undercontrol, though not before there had been casualties onboth sides and the confidence of would-be investors hadbeen somewhat dented. There followed heated pressdebates about who owns what, when, how and if, whichkept the public riveted to the daily papers for manyweeks.

Meanwhile, just as tourismwas beginning to pick upagain following the decline inthe wake of Travel Advisoriesissued against Kenya by theAmerican and BritishGovernments, worryingly,anti-wildlife rhetoricescalated as droughtconditions took hold, andhuman wildlife conflictbecame an ever increasingproblem, with famineproviding a useful alibi forthe bush-meat toll. Elephantswere particularly vilified inthe pages of the popular pressand a shocking debacleinvolving three elephants wholost their way at night andended up besieged by iratevillagers in a densely The Tsavo Orphans based at Voi

permanent basis, plus supporting 44still dependent elephant orphans andall that entails. Nor has ourcommunity involvement beenneglected, for all de-snaring teamleaders are equipped with VideoProjectors and environmental filmswhich they show on a regular basis toschools along Tsavo’s boundaries.Regular field trips for students are alsoundertaken in an attempt to educatethe next generation about theimportance of their wildlife heritage.The Nairobi Nursery continues its oneopen hour every day, something thatis proving more and more popularwith local school-children, who turnup on an almostdaily basis indroves to enjoywatching theinfant elephants’mudbath.

O u r

Orphans’Project hasmushroomed,withan influx of newarrivals, plus theestablishment ofthe newR e i n t e g r a t i o nFacility at Ithumbain the Northern Area of Tsavo East.This addresses the need to relieve theload on our Voi Unit, especially duringthe dry season and provide a basefrom which our young bulls can growup further from tourist facilities wherethey can become compromised. Inaddition, the Nairobi Headquarterscompound has received a muchneeded face-lift since the OrphansStockades and Staff quarters hadsuffered extensive termite damage. Arevamp of the Voi Orphans’ Stockadesand Stores is also planned, several ofthe buildings there dating back to thefifties.

We are, however, enduringly mindfulthat none of what we have managedto accomplish during this andprevious years would have beenpossible had it not been for the

generous support we have enjoyedfrom many caring people andorganisations world-wide. For thiswe are, indeed, most grateful. Creditmust also be given to the popularappeal of our orphaned elephants,who continue to attract internationalsupport and who are the living symbolof our conservation efforts. Whereasorphaned elephants were reared inTsavo during David Sheldrick’stenureship from as far back as theearly fifties, the Trust’s first infantelephant (“Olmeg”, now a bull of18), was dumped on our doorstepin 1986 and since then to date we

have managed to save 62, none ofwhich would be living today hadthey not been rescued and mostlyair-lifted in for hand rearing. 62Elephants represents a sizeable herdwith sizeable needs requiring sizeablesupervision! Add to this a staff ofsome 100 souls, all of whom alsohave specific and individual “needs”to maintain a happy and energeticwork-force, not to mention the inputit takes to ensure that the work goesaccording to plan; then interject a fleetof 11 vehicles, 4 tractors, a very largewater bowser plus 2 smaller ones,submersible pumps, generators,windmills, computers and a mobilemechanic and his needs, whoconstantly does the rounds of all ourstations servicing all these items, andthe word “hectic” mildly sums up ouryear! No wonder time slips by so

rapidly for the three working Trusteeswho find they have so little to sparefor recreational purposes! Peopleoften wonder if Daphne has droppedoff the planet, but the fact of thematter is that she is early to bed andearly to rise – a habit now ingrainedover many years of overseeing theelephants’ fragile Nursery period!

That said, no Newsletter for 2004would be appropriate withoutacknowledging the enormouscontribution made by our wonderfulCanadian Web Master, PaulMcKenzie, who burns the midnight

oil entirelyvoluntarily,and, inconjunctionwith Angela,has designedthe newe x t r e m e l yinformativeand user-f r i e n d l ywebsite that isproving sucha hit, and ofwhich theTrust can beproud. Tohim, we oweprobably thegreatest debtof gratitude

for he has revolutionized our work.Nor would it be appropriate not tomention the input of Daphne’sdaughter, Angela and husband Robert,both of whom also burn the midnightoil to ensure the smooth running ofthe Trust’s work-force and thesupervision of our many projects.They shoulder a daunting work-loadaside from, in Robert’s case, his Safaricommitments, and it is good to alwaysknow that the Trust will continue togrow in the safe and caring hands ofthose prepared to work beyond thecall of duty, just as the oldergeneration did before them.

Therefore, aside from a gnawinganxiety over ailing KWS, the Trusthas had an extremely productive year.It is rewarding to have been able tomake a significant difference in the

Tsavo Orphans’ Voi Unit

vast Northern Area of Tsavo which David always said wasthe jewel in the crown of Tsavo, and at a time when theSenior Warden had just a handful of Rangers and no budgetto cover 3,000 square miles of prime elephant habitat.We have been able to produce additional working fundson a monthly basis and done our best to keep his geriatrictransport functional, (one patrol vehicle having over600,000 kms on the clock!) A defunct borehole has beenbrought back into production, and its saline yield madefit for human consumption through the addition ofdesalinating equipment. This has alleviated the necessityto truck in drinking water from Voi, l00 miles away.

However, all this has been largely due to thegenerosity of Mr. Marty Moore and his

Foundation, as well as Rettet die ElefantenAfrikas E.v, the Wildize Foundation and the

Dutch Vrienden van der Olifant, and we thankthem profoundly for making this assistance

possible.

It was a red-letter-day indeed when our De-snaring TeamLeaders were awarded Honorary Warden status givingthem the same powers of arrest as serving KWS

personnel and enabling them to extend their patrols beyondthe boundaries deep into the Park itself, thereby increasingsurveillance and security. This has been enormouslyimportant in trying to stem the bush-meat poaching.

Perhaps our most important contribution, however,has been the completion of 32 kms. of electric

fencing along the Park’s very sensitive Northernboundary with Wakamba-land, including the installationof an aesthetic Park Entrance Gate-House to cater forvisitors accessing the Park via Kibwezi rather than acrossLugards Falls.

Simon DeFrayne and his Company Sinyati Ltd.,have done a very professional job for us with a

minimum of fuss, as well as guaranteeing regularmaintenance for a modest monthly fee. We

thank them for this, and owe Care for the Wild

International a debt of gratitude for contributinga sizeable sum towards this project.

Furthermore, for pledging additional funding toenable us to embark on Phase II and extend the

fenceline a further 35 kms, over the Yatta Plateauand down the other side through Gazi to the Athi

river, thereby securing 65 kms.of Tsavo’sNorthern boundary to protect community crops

from destruction by elephants, and the elephantsfrom being shot as “problem animals”.

Some of the funding for this extension is beinggenerated by supporters of the German Rettet dieElefanten Afrikas E.v. to honour the memory and

dedication of the charity’s Founder, Mr. HansRohring, who tragically lost a long and brave

battle against cancer on the 24th February. Hanshad long been one of the Trust’s most stalwartsupporters, as has his widow, Barbara. Shevaliantly continues his work with the same

enthusiasm, dedication and drive which wouldmake him proud and for which we salute her.Thank you, Barbara and all the supporters of

Rettet die Elefanten Afrikas E.v. who are workingso hard towards a project that was so close to the

heart of Hans and also to that of Barbara.

A great deal of community sensitisation was vital to ensurethe success of the Northern Area’s fencing project anddetract from vandalism. This was carefully undertakenby KWS in conjunction with our Northern Area De-Snaring Team Leaders and it has paid off. On occasionswhen wire has been stolen, it has been returned along withthe culprits. An added benefit to the community, asidefrom the protection of their crops, has been theemployment opportunities the fence offers in terms of itsmaintenance.

There was delight when in mid-year the Trustachieved charitable status in the U.S.A. somethingthat promises to impact positively on our

fundraising future. We owe this to a chance meeting witha generous lawyer, Mr. Stephen Smith of Krieg DeVaultLLP, Attorneys in Indianapolis, U.S.A., who offered hisservices free and who has been the driving force behindthe creation of The U.S. Friends of the David SheldrickWildlife Trust. Through this initiative we have beengranted tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of theFederal Internal Revenue Code and we are honoured towelcome him onto the Board of the Trust’s US Friends,along with Mr. Martin J. Moore, Mr. Timothy Mott, Ms.Janet Berard Doyle, Mr. R. Brian Miller, Ms. Anne Doerand Ms. Chris Turner, all of whom bring energy andexpertise that will be invaluable.

We are grateful that they have agreed to serve, butwe owe a great debt of gratitude to Stephen Smith

A snared Cheetah cub. Tsavo West National Park.

and to two of his colleagues,Ms. Kathryn A. Dunaway and

Ms. Jeanie M. Hicks who

worked so hard alongside himto bring about this benefit for

us, not forgetting Stephen’sfirm, Krieg-Devault LLP who

have also been most cooperativeand supportive. Besides

achieving charitable status,thanks to Stephen, the Trust hasbenefited from legacies which,without legal assistance, may

never have been realised.

We are now also registered asCharity No. 1103836 in EnglandWe are enormously grateful to

Mr. James Clark F.C.A.,A.C.I.S., F.C.I.B., A.T.I.I.,who has volunteered hisservices as Secretary andwill handle tax claims as

well as allowing us the useof his London Office for this

purpose. We are likewiseindebted to his Assistant, Susan

Fox for the many hours shedevoted to the cause, and to

Rosemary Hall of Jordans Ltd.,who has been more than helpful

with the legal issues, not

forgetting Mr. Arnie Mitchell ofVeritas, Nairobi, who willinglyacts as the go-between. CathMills, our Representative in

Scotland, has, as usual, been anenormous help, also working in

a voluntary capacity, fieldingour posted donations and

ensuring that they reach usintact via a Courier Service

rather than risking themthrough the ordinary post.

There was surprise and furtherdelight when the

B B C

The BBC Crew enjoying time withthe Orphan’s and their Keeper’s

Natural History Unit decided toembark on the “Elephant Diaries”series, featuring our orphans. Thiswill entail a year’s filming of some 5episodes embracing all three of ourOrphaned Elephant Establishments -the Nairobi Nursery, the Voi Unit andthe newly established Ithumba

Reintegration Centre. Theseries will illustrate the veryhuman characteristics ofthese highly intelligent

mammals, and engender empathy anda better understanding of them,besides benefiting the Trust throughpublicising our other conservationinitiatives as well.

CITES 2004:COP 14 (Conference of the

Parties) this year took place inBangkok, Thailand, encompassingl66 countries, all signatories to theInternational Convention on Tradein Endangered Species, as usualtrade being the operative word.CITES falls under the auspices ofthe International Union for theConservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.)and as usual, yet again as inprevious years, decisions weredriven by trade and economicsrather than the precautionaryprinciple to safeguard dwindlingnumbers of many endangeredspecies.

It is interesting that two arms of I.U.C.N., namelyTRAFFIC and WWF, having analysed 9,400 illegalIvory Seizures in 75 countries issued statementsbeforehand to the effect that poaching was on the risethroughout most of the African elephant Range States.They said that “unregulated, domestic ivory markets incombination with poor law enforcement” were thedriving forces behind the illicit trade although perhapsthe emphasis should be more on the rich Nations thatare the recipients of the unregulated domestic ivorystocks rather than poor Nations where poverty,corruption and poor governance precludes adequateregulatory measures.

China, Thailand and Japan were identified as the mainrepositories of illegal ivory but even the U.K. wassingled out as a “problem country with a large domesticivory trade likely to provoke illegal poaching”,Portobello road market in West London being the singlebiggest source of illicit ivory in the U.K where up to200 tons of ivory, (representing about 5,000 deadelephants), arrive at the Port of London every year.Incredibly a seizure of illegal ivory and tortoise-shell inNovember, worth approximately Sterling 85,000, wentun-punished due to failure to endorse amendments to aBill approved by Parliament exactly a year ago!

The fact that the illegal poaching of elephants stillremains serious is highlighted by other flourishingdomestic markets elsewhere, an example being that ofOmdurman in the Sudan where huge quantities of rawivory pass into neighbouring Egypt, or to China ascarved pieces to be sold and reworked. Hard data isscarce, due to the illicit nature of the trade, but even soSudan has been implicated in 58 recent seizures,including l,500 kg. of raw ivory unearthed in Egypt anoutlet believed to account for the lives of at least 12,000elephants every year. Political turmoil in many elephantrange States nurtures illicit poaching where ivory isbartered, moving easily across porous borders, whereendemic corruption and poorly resourced enforcementagencies preclude control.

Three tons of poached ivory was seized in Spain inJuly, representing the death of 400 elephants. A highlystructured syndicate of ivory poachers is known tooperate in Tanzania between Kilwa and Dar es Salaam,where ivory hidden in sacks of maize or cassava is ferriedon bicycles by night to village outlets. 17 elephantswere poached in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya,earlier in the year and on November 8th, l0 people with17 elephant tusks weighing 65 kg. were arrested inWestern Kenya’s town of Kitale. This haul, amongstwhich were the tiny toothpicks of babies, represents anongoing toll of the famous cave digging elephants ofMount Elgon, whose numbers are dwindling rapidly.Prior to CITES, KWS estimated that Kenya had lost

some 150 elephants to poaching this year, but this isbelieved to be an underestimate in view of the incapacity

of the Service to monitor events even within the NationalParks, let alone beyond due to financial constraints.All this evidence adds up to the fact that the poaching

of elephants remains a serious problem throughout mostof Africa. Therefore, what was trumpeted as a victoryfor the elephant cause at CITES was hollow indeed, i.e.a crack down on unregulated domestic markets withlegislation and enforcement strengthened at the borderlevel. Everyone knows this will be impossible toachieve but perhaps it was aimed at softening the blowof CITES next move - giving the Southern African States(and the poachers) everything they wanted.

COP 14 in Bangkok gave the SADC States the greenlight to sell their ivory stockpiles, though not until 2006,since monitoring procedures are still not functional.Namibia was granted permission to trade in ivory “noncommercially” but yet permitted to sell ivory carvingsknown as “ekipas” to tourists, and worse still, SouthernAfrican States were allowed a hunting quota of elephantsand even Black and White Rhino, a startling decisionthat shocked the conservation world, and sent a sinistermessage far and wide.

There can be no doubt that the global ban imposed inl989 which placed elephants on the fully protectedAppendix I schedule served to slow the rapid decline ofthe species which had fallen from 3 million to some270,000. Yet, despite the fact that just enough time haspassed since the imposition of the Ivory Ban for eachbreeding cow (who has managed to escape a poachers’bullet or arrow) to produce just 2 calves, and theadmission by both WWF and TRAFFIC that poachingis increasing over most of the Range States, (and totallyout of control in war-torn Central Africa); plus the knownfact that elephants in Zimbabwe have been subjected tounprecedented massacre, COP 14 in bowing to pressurefrom the wealthy States of Southern Africa hascompromised the survival of an endangered species itis supposed to protect. Small wonder therefore thatconservationists are disillusioned with CITES and feelthat the money would be better spent on law enforcementback home.

As before, the European Union was largely responsiblefor the CITES debacle, unable to agree a concensus,and therefore when it came to the vote, abstaining as agroup. In this, the U.K. was the main culprit, costingthe elephants the support of many European countrieswho would probably have voted in favour of maintainingthe global ban. But then Southern Africa has more tooffer the West in terms of trade than the rest ofimpoverished Africa, so the endangered species are littlemore than pawns in a political game of trade.

It is a sad fact that consumptive utilisation and hunting(recreational pleasure killing) seem to have hijackedthe very definition of the word “conservation”, which,according to the Dictionary, is “preservation”, not

as alternative livestock, huntingfarms trivialise the exquisite; de-personalise living creatures,reducing them to mere numberswhich are harvested at theconvenience of the master speciesand they normalise sadism bymaking cruelty routine”.

The Trust places great emphasis onthe individuality of animals and

consequently the suffering ofindividuals, just as do humansamongst their own kind. Havingraised most species, the Trustrecognises individuality as animportant element within AnimalWelfare.

The Orphans’ Project:-

The rearing of the orphanedelephants, even though wehave been at it for a very long

time, for us remains an ongoinglearning experience and a source ofwonder, filled with moments of joyand sadness, plus surprises on analmost daily basis. This animalduplication of a Big Brother series isrecorded in the Keepers’ Diary whichis posted on the Trust’s websitemonthly and keeps the elephantsmany foster-parentsinvolved. Followingthe daily life of anewborn baby as itpasses through itsfully milkdependent infancy,watching it graduallygrow through

“utilisation”. Hunting ethics andanimal welfare do not exist whereselfish self interest and greedeclipse human conscience. Theyear has seen the world becomingincreasingly insensitive to animalinjustice. Even fur, which at onetime was off limits, is making acome-back within the FashionIndustry, with models againparading the catwalks draped inskins taken from rightful owners,and viewed as things of beautyinstead of a symbol of cruelty andsuffering.

Concerns that Africa’s lions werebecoming a threatened species werebrushed aside by COP 14, so thatthe Southern Africans couldcontinue hunting these Big Cats, nodissenting voices heard about theirinfamous canned lion breedingcentres nor their equally infamoustrade in live animals, whichcontinues unabated. Despite theTuli scandal that generated aninternational furore, the SouthAfrican government recentlyendorsed the export of liveelephants to Zoos in China andPoland, both highly questionabledestinations for any living animal,let alone an elephant. The litany ofoutrageous dealings under the guiseof “conservation” is endless-Namibia’s hunting quota ofleopards tripled, South Africa’sdoubled, Nile Crocodilesdownlisted etc., etc. No wonderpeople are calling for a tourismboycott of Southern Africa in anattempt to inject a little morehumanity into their handling ofanimals.

In the book “For the Love ofWildlife” reviewed in the Octoberissue of BBC Wildlife, gamehunting farms in Southern Africaare described as “an affront tomorality, spiritualism, and to allreligions that regard brutality toliving beings as atheist. Bysmashing up the wholeness of thenatural world, most notably themagnificent predators, andrecovering from the wreckage onlythose life forms which can be used

childhood to a teenager, andeventually into adulthood, one gets toknow each one intimately as onefollows its daily activities andadventures. Friendships blossom andhit glitches, just as in human society,joy and happiness as well as sadnessand grief at the loss of a loved one isevident, and one is amazed by theoutpouring of compassion and caringfor those younger or the less fortunate.

Just like human children, elephantsfeel shameful when reprimanded formisbehaviour; they take themselvesoff to sulk; they harbour grudges andfeel the need to settle scores, they canbe deliberately mischievous, and thelittle bulls are especially competitive,always striving for one-upmanship.

We know that elephants possessmysterious abilities alien to us, suchas the programming of a geneticmemory within the womb to endowthem with elements important tosurvival; the ability to communicateover distance in mysterious ways andan unerring and uncanny ability totraverse alien terrain surely andaccurately, despite the fact that theymay never have set foot there before.These and many other mysterious

Tsavo Orphans’ Ithumba Unit

attributes leave those of us who know them intimately,humbled, and those who don’t, sceptical and disbelieving.Elephants are synonymous with a “trumpet” and speakingof “trumpets”, do elephants dream? Now, we are surethat they do!Normally a babyelephant cannottrumpet until it isabout 6 months old,and then suddenly asqueaky trumpetsound just happensduring times ofextreme excitement,invariably startlingthe trumpeter! Yet,one night, when allthe Nursery infantswere asleep in theirNight Stables, cosilytucked beneath theirblankets, Daphne wasawoken by a loud,full- blown elephanttrumpet! This was so unexpected in the Nurseryenvironment that she braved the robbers to go out andinvestigate, and discovered that it was little “Ndomot”.He could only have been dreaming, for he was still fartoo young to manage such a grown up sound, besides beingstill sound asleep beneath his blanket!

A full 8 months have passed since that night, and now“Ndomot” (whose name means “where two rivers meet”)is able to sound a waking trumpet but only when hypedup chasing the new generation of piglet warthogs whoalways arrive towards year end. They and their mothersenjoy hanging out with our Nursery Elephants in theNairobi Park forest, knowing that the presence of theKeepers offers them protection from predators.

Do elephants reason? Yes they do, examples constantlyappearing in the Keepers’ Diary. For instance, “Sosian”carefully positioning himself on a bank to gain theadvantage of height over his larger rival, “Laikipia”;“Mukwaju” gripping “Nasalot” by the head so that hispal, “Nyiro”, can have a chance to try and mount her andwhen the orphans confronted a cantankerous old buffalobull at close quarters. Unusually, this buffalo would notrespond to the elephants’ threats, but instead lowered hishead, preparing for battle. Appreciating the risk of injurythis entailed, “Emily” spun round and retreated rapidlyprompting her orphaned family to follow her lead. Thisthey duly did, (since young elephants are essentiallyfearful) and having put a safe distance between her familyand the adversary, she and “Aitong” together returned toexpel the buffalo and remove the threat.

Do elephants have compassion? They certainly do andin abundance. Even at the height of the dry season, when

the need for food and water is paramount, there will alwaysbe one or two orphans hanging back to escort “Mweiga”,a six year old female from the Aberdares who has alwaysbeen a weakling, possibly suffering from a heart

c o m p l a i n t .Consequently, she hasdifficulty keeping pacewith the others and isalways last at themudbath, but never leftbehind to come alone.Whenever shestumbles, or isaccidentally shoved,immediately anotherelephant will come toher aid, helping to lifther back onto her feet.“Emily” oftenaccompanies her toensure that she isundisturbed whentaking her noon dayration of milk.

Are elephants jealous?Yes, they can be. Aitong became visibly agitated whenone of her wild boyfriends paid too much attention toEmily.

This year, both Emily and Aitong have been mated onseveral occasions, so we are wondering whether we canexpect a couple of home-born additions in two year’s time.18 year old Dika, now of an impressive size, returned inApril, mating Emily on the 16th, 17th and l8th, but waschased off by a wild suitor on the 20th, who took Emilyoff alone for half a day out of sight of the others.Apparently, according to the Keepers, she went willingly,an event that unsettled the entire group, and especiallyAitong. Nevertheless, Dika was back for another go onthe 22nd, and again in May for another two day session onthe 5th and 6th so we will never be sure about the father ofEmily’s calf if she has one in two year’s time.

Aitong is more forward than Emily when it comes to sexand has often been mated by both Edo and Ndume, twoof our Big Boys as well as spending time away from theorphans, the attraction being a wild bull friend. Herunion with a very large such candidate was witnessed bythe Keepers on the 31st May, dispelling the Keepers’previous assumption that she was probably alreadypregnant by Edo. We are inclined to think that the wildbulls will have more success with our orphaned females,because the ex orphan Big Boys are regarded more asbrothers, having grown up with them as a bonded “family”.

Do elephants have a sense of humour? We are sure theydo, again examples of this appearing in the Keepers’Diaries. “Mweya”, the little Ugandan orphan, is the main

prankster, always devising tricks toplay on the others, surreptitiouslyhiding in bushes, and then burstingforth to scare the others as they drawclose. Following an altercationbetween “Laikipia” and “Tsavo”, inwhich Emily intervened to protectTsavo , “Laikipia” strolled off andtook his revenge by casually pickingup a stone with his trunk, and hurlingit at Tsavo, hitting him fair and squareand so hard that it made him bellow!

The Trust’s on-line digitalFostering Programme hasproved immensely popular

with the global public, and has beena very important aspect of ourOrphans’ Programme, not onlybringing in a steady stream of muchneeded revenue in support of theelephants but also generating interestand empathy.

We are deeply indebted to Carefor the Wild International forthe sizeable annual grant theygive the Project, and also TheInternational Fund for Animal

Welfare, who likewisecontribute generously on an

annual basis. We enjoy regularfinancial support also from

Rettet die Elefanten Afrikas E.v.in Germany and Vrienden vander Olifant in the Netherlands,

not forgetting the role ofeveryone who has fostered anelephant for $50 per annum,

and in this way helped us in ourmammoth undertaking.

Grateful thanks are due also tothe numerous people who have

ensured a steady supply ofspecial formula milk for the

orphans and in so doing havespared us many sleepless nights.Wyeth Laboratories in Taplow,Maidenhead and in particularSharon John, continue their

steadfast help that has spannedthe past 18 years. We

appreciate the enormous help ofthe Royal Air Force, both hereand overseas, as well as M.K.Airlines Flower Planes that

have carried consignments forus. British Army personnel

from the Kahawa Barracks havelent their muscle loading andunloading tons of milk in 25kilo bags whilst it is the rhino

orphans that have charmed theBritish Peace Support Team,

who have taken both little“Shida” and feisty “Makosa” as

their mascots.

For a long time we haverecognised the need to split ourgrowing herd of orphans into

two smaller more manageable unitsduring the rehabilitation process inTsavo. The forced deportation of“Imenti” from Emily’s unit in Voi tothe North, and the need to anchor himthere turned the issue of establishingthis second unit at Ithumba into a “faitaccompli”. A Night Stockade had tobe hurriedly erected, as did StaffQuarters to house the Keepers forwhom he had been searching outsidethe Park boundary. The ParkHeadquarters had to be secured by anelectric ring-fence to prevent himwreaking revenge on what had turnedinto his pet hate - the vehicles, havingfound it difficult to forgive the insultof the ill-mannered van that ploughedinto his “family” as they crossed theroad near Voi.

It took Imenti almost a full year tosettle down in the North, and beginfraternising with the wild herds.Happily, he is now amongst them, last

spotted with a huge bull carryingsizeable tusks, who has probably wonhis typical bull hero-worship. Butbefore this all fell into place, everytime Imenti just heard a vehicleapproaching his Night Stockade, hereturned at the double to try and dealwith it – a glaring example of anelephant grudge!

As the dry season took hold this year,and the rain water tanks ran dry, sothe acquisition of a large WaterBowser turned into a pressing priority,especially prior to the plannedupgrading of six of the Nurseryinmates to join Imenti in the North.

Very bravely, yet again thechildren of the Bury Church of

England High School, who werelooking for another project

having recently funded the newDida Harea Windmill, gallantly

rose to the challenge andresolved to try and raise the

wherewithal - a staggering K.Shs. 4 million – no mean

undertaking for a handful ofschool-children in far-off

England. To date the BuryChurch of England High

School children, energised andmotivated by their very

dedicated teacher, Jackie Vet,and her husband, Ray, haveraised, entirely through their

own efforts, in excess of #60,000 sterling pounds in

The Trust’s water bowser is inspected by Emily

Ithumba Orphans’ in their night stockade

support of Trust projects in Tsavo.They have covered the cost of 3

Windmills in Tsavo East NationalPark, as well as the orphans

borehole; purchased the Canterthat transports their night

rations, and extended support tolocal schools, providing the

funding for desks at Ore PrimarySchool in Voi as well as fundingfor field trips. For many years,

and every year, they have workedlike Trojans, baking cakes,

holding sponsored silences, and other sportingevents, shaved their Headmaster’s whiskers,

washed the Mayor’s vehicle and the local FireEngine, served in the Supermarket and raidedtheir parents’ belongings for Car Boot Sales,

amongst numerous other innovative fundraisers -a stout effort indeed, for which we have deep

admiration, demonstrating again that anyone andeveryone, can make a difference, and that a lot of

small contributions mount into somethingworthwhile.

Ask any wealthy individual to shoulder the cost ofa Windmill, or a very large Tanker requiring K.

Shs. 4 million, and they would undoubtedlyrecoil! Not, however, that handful of stalwart

English children who recently were rewarded fortheir efforts by a largely sponsored Kenyan Safari

which was covered by the BBC’s Really WildShow. We salute the Bury children and theirteacher who is the driving force behind theirevery venture, spurring the children to ever

greater efforts. We are also extremely indebtedto Martin Forster of Cooper Motor Corporation

who allowed us to takepossession of the

tanker against easymonthly payments

over a period of a fullyear. When the

children came to seetheir latest Windmill,

they brought with them10,000 sterling tocover the initialinstalments – yet

another very stout effort!

This Tanker has proved its worth over and over again,not least in June, for the transfer of the six Nurseryelephants to the new Ithumba Rehabilitation Centre.

Ripe for rehab promotion were “Napasha” and “Tomboi”,both now 2 years old, 15 month old “Selengai” and 18month old “Ol Malo”, all orphans from Laikipia, plus 16month old “Taita” retrieved from the Salt Lick Hotel cesspit in the Hilton Taita Sanctuary and our miracle baby, 21month old “Wendi”, possibly an abandoned “twin”retrieved brand-new from the Imenti Forest, who, likeImenti, was saved by an infusion of blood plasma.

It was a very forlorn little group of four babies leftbehind in the Nairobi Nursery when the six olderinmates left early in the morning of June 20th, not to

mention a depressed and saddened extended human familyas well! The six travelled along with their Keepers inthree large Safari trucks, two of which were kindly loanedby Sungelai Safaris and one courtesy of Ker & Downey.It was a very dusty 8 hour journey to reach their new homevia Kibwezi, and having safely deposited them andintroduced them to their new surroundings, the three trucksheaded South via Lugards Falls to Voi in order to load

four older females from Emily’s unitto take charge of the little Nurserygroup up North.Deciding who to take from the VoiUnit involved months of thought anddiscussion, for there were manyfactors that had to be considered inorder to minimize any anticipateddisruption this might cause. Thoseorphans for whom Emily and Aitonghad particularly deep attachments,were exempt; strong friendshipsforged in the Nursery betweenindividuals were an important factor,as was the nature of the individualsto be selected. We were looking forparticularly caring females to take onMatriarchal roles and in the endsettled on “Yatta”, “Mulika”,“Nasalot” and “Kinna” , all agedbetween 5 and 6, and all firm friendswho had shared time together in theNairobi Nursery from early infancy.

With the trucks in situ, parked againstthe Loading Ramp at the VoiStockades, these four young femaleswere held back at the Stockades whenthe rest of the group left in the earlymorning. Tempted by an unusualoffering of milk, all save Kinnaentered the trucks, albeit hesitatingly,no doubt still remembering thejourney that took them from theNursery. However, Kinna wouldhave none of it, and in the end neededa mild sedation in order to be able tobe physically shoved in. However,thereafter everything went smoothlyand after the three hour journey toIthumba, the four walked calmly outat the other end.

It was wonderful to witness themeeting of the two groups – theexcitement, joy and instant out-pouring of care towards the youngfrom the older elephants and therather hesitant greeting they receivedfrom the Nursery six, most of whomwere orphaned too young to be ableto recall an elephant larger thanthemselves! What surprised us most,however, was the reaction of Emilyand Aitong at the other end, whosimply unexpectedly accepted the lossof four of their number as thoughnothing untoward had taken place!Previously, on any occasion when oneof the orphans remained behindamongst a wild herd, their absencewas immediately detected, even aheadof the Keepers, and the olderelephants would set forth immediatelyto bring the truant back into the fold.It was therefore another elephant“surprise” that on this occasion,despite the absence of not just one,but four of their number, Emily andAitong accepted it without question,almost as though they understoodwhat had been going on in the mindsof their human family for so long andthe reasoning behind it. For us, thiswas a huge relief.

Of the four that were transferred, only“Kinna” showed signs of emotionalstrain. For several weeks she spentquiet periods on her own away fromthe main group, visibly depressed, butthe other three took the transitioncompletely in their stride. In thebeginning they shared the Matriarchalresponsibility but gradually, “Yatta”,being oldest, began to take overallcharge. “Napasha”, one that couldremember his elephant family, and thebiggest boy in the new unit, relishedthis position from the start, throwinghis weight around “Tomboi” and“Taita” on a daily basis. In elephantsociety, it is the females who are thepeace-keepers, and the presence of theolder females has been important tokeeping him in line for any bullyingof those younger and smaller is nottolerated in an elephant family.

Back in the Nairobi Nursery, we wereleft with “Naserian”, “Ndomot” and“Sunyei”, as well as little “Madiba”,a baby from Botswana who came intothe fold as a Christmas surprise on the23rd December 2003, since the lastNewsletter was posted on the Internet.He was found abandoned in ariverbed, and his Rescuers must have

had clout, because their wishthat he be offered a quality oflife in wild terms whengrown, was granted.Thereafter he was sent toWildcare in Pretoria, withthis string attached, andplaced into the care ofKaren Trendler whocontacted us, and gallantlyresisted enormouspressure from a host of“utilizers”, including oneof the people involved inthe Tuli Elephant case,who viewed the babyelephant as a lucrativemoney-spinner.

It took 3 months toarrange all the necessary

CITES permits involved in moving alive elephant across InternationalBorders, but on the 23rd Decemberlittle “Ollie”(as he was then named)arrived at Wilson Airport

Madiba in January 2004

Madiba in October 2004

accompanied by KarenTrendler, something we doubted would ever actuallycome about!

We thank everyone who was involved in securinghis future freedom, notleast Karen Trendler of

Wildcare and the BateleurAssociation of South

Africa, an organisationcomprised of pilots andtheir planes who fly freefor conservation. The

Tanzanian basedCompany, Coastal Air,

very generouslyundertook to fly the

elephant to Kenya free ofcharge whilst his upkeep

at Wildcare was sponsoredby IFAW.

The Trust likes to give anorphan a name that will link itwith its origin, so we asked tochange the name“Ollie” to “Madiba”, the name by whichfamous Nelson Mandela is affectionately knownthroughout the Southern African region and one that willalways identify him with that part of the world.

He was tiny and resembled a miniature woollymammoth, covered in a mass of unusuallylong hair. Too young to have any recollectionof his elephant family, he was firmly attachedto his South African blanket, from which hewould not be parted, ignoring the other Nurseryinmates, who viewed him with suspicion sincehis behaviour was so off-hand as though theydid not even exist! However, in “Shida” thebaby rhino, he took a great interest since

apparently a rhino had been his closest companion atWildcare. This, however, was an attachment we had todiscourage having hindsight of the disaster that befell anearlier orphaned rhino called “Sam”, who was killed by a

wild bull elephant in Tsavo, refusing tovacate a contested mudbath. He paiddearly with his life for the closeaffiliation he had enjoyed with theNursery elephants.

It took little “Madiba” a month or twoto realise that he was actually an

Shida November 2004

Magnum November 2004

Daphne’s grandsons Roan and Taru takes Seyiafor a walk

Seyia

elephant like the others, and that theywere good company, as well as for usto wean him off his South Africanblanket, which was beginning to lookthe worse for wear! But, slowly andsurely both transitions wereaccomplished, and today “Madiba” isvery much an elephant, has lost hisfurry mammoth appearance, and is aforceful, playful and establishedmember of the current Nursery groupwhich has swelled since to 9 inmates.He is extremely competitive with“Ndomot”, with whom he tussles longand hard on a daily basis and verycaring of newcomers until the femalestake charge.

Additions to the Nursery in themonths that followed thedeparture of Wendi’s six age-

mates, were 14 month old “Galana”,(who arrived in August, a starvationcase fortunate not to have made ameal for a pride of nearby lions); 6month old “Buchuma” hauled (withgreat difficulty) from a jaggedmanhole in the Mombasa pipeline on28th September); Tiny 3 week old“Jipe” (retrieved from the mud ofdrying Lake Jipe inSouthern TsavoWest on the 3 rd

October); 3 weekold “Nalitu” on the11th November (whowas washed downthe flooding UasoNyiro River and 3month old“Lualeni” on the 28th

November, foundalone sleepingbeneath a tree inTaita HillsSanctuary, with nosign of any otherelephants in sight.

We suffered a particularly pathetictragedy also on the 28th November –the death of tiny “Seyia”, a Marainfant retrieved as a newborn on the7th November, whose mother hadadvanced septicaemia due to a hugeabscess on her belly and consequently,no milk. Although this tiny calf wasa brave little fighter, and tried so hardto live, we simply could not stabilize

the stool, even after having resortedto what is always a last resort - aninfusion of blood plasma, in his casetaken from “Galana”. There isalways a very real risk involved inanesthetising a baby elephant,especially putting a healthy individualat risk for the sake of one that couldbe a “no-hoper”. Galana, his donor,took longer than usual to wake uphaving been given the antidote, whichreduced us all to basket cases. Thenlittle Seyia almost passed away whilststill “under”, but the Vet managed toretrieve him. Thereafter, he ralliedfor two days, giving us all great hopesfor success, but then the diarrheoareturned and took him from usovernight, reducing everyone tobasket cases all over again!

We owe a great deal to theexpertise of our NairobiVeterinarian, Dr. Dieter

Rottcher and we thank him forthe precious elephant lives he

has been able to save.

However, even Dieter could notprevent the death of 3 other elephant

orphans, all of whom died shortlyafter arrival in the Nursery, each toodamaged for us to be able to retrieve.Two had serious wounds obviouslyinflicted by predation, one from theMara and the other from Ziwani. Thethird was a tragic Amboseli babynamed “Ol Tukai” who had multiplespear wounds inflicted by Masaitribesmen – a shocking indictment ofthis tribe’s professed love of animals.Two other orphans died before theyreached us, and were unnamed, bothfrom Laikipia.

We are grateful to many of oursupporters who practice

alternative means of healing onour orphans, all of which

definitely make a difference;and to Lesley Cooksley, our

Homeopath, who donates all thepillules needed for every

ailment, and who is constantlycalled upon to share with us her

professional expertise in thisfield; Anita Graham, a Medical

Herbalist in Ascot , has beenkind enough to donate copious

quantities ofCalendular, Arnica

and Thuya tinctures,all invaluable

components of ourMedical Store. The

Calendular hasmiraculously healeda gaping wound thatexposed the spine of

Angela Sheldrick talks with Joseph Suani Tsavo East.

Daphne Sheldrick and her daughter Jill with Emily, June 2004

Ndara’s back, and also helped repair the terriblebruising of “Buchuma”, suffered as a result ofhis ordeal in the pipeline manhole. The skin

damage was so severe that huge slabs peeled ofhis back and legs, leaving the flesh exposed andthe elephant in a pitiful state. Happily, today he

is almost completely whole again. The Thuyatakes care of the huge warts that appear on our

Tsavo orphans during wet seasons.

Mike Seton and his Company, East African AirCharters continue to airlift the needy orphans

from far and wide, allowing us a sizeable discounton the charter cost of the rescue planes for whichwe are grateful.. On the odd occasion when EastAfrican Air Charters have not been in a position

to help, Boskovic Air Charters have done thesame for a like concession, and we thank them

also.

The main October/November/December rains of2003 failed around Voi completely, causing usmany sleepless nights. We even began

contemplating having to walk the entire herd of orphansto the Northern Area which had enjoyed a good season,and where most of the wild herds now were. Then, onJanuary 8th the heavens opened dumping 8 inches of rainaround Voi in one night, disrupting communications,cutting roads and turning the Voi river into a torrent thatinundated the shallow silt-bed of Aruba Dam in a night.For us, and our elephants, however, it was a life-saver,yielding what we needed most to avert having to takedrastic action - a rich flush of green that eased manymonths of fooddeprivation for our Voiunit.

Elephants areessentially timid byNature and very easilyscared when young. TheDiary highlights manyexamples of this; forinstance when an orphan“trembled all day” fromthe touch of a chameleonor when a curled millipedeunfurled at the tentativetouch of an elephant foot!There was, however, goodreason for Emily’s unit totremble all day when a hyaena literally ran through theirlegs as it was being pursued by another and when a pairof mating lions were disturbed, who charged with adeafening roar of fury! Only animals that will oblige byrunning away are normally chasing targets, dikdiks,squirrels and guinea-fowl being fair game! Anything larger

will definitely require a gang effort. Completely immuneis the Stockade’s resident Iguana Lizard who strollsdisconcertingly amongst the orphans’ legs, gobbling upthe dung beetles, providing an ongoing reason to“tremble”.

A dramatic and disastrous event involving the Ithumbaten occurred during the early hours of the morning of the21st October, and left us all trembling! A rabid dog forcedits way through the electric wires of the Elephants’ NightStockade, and before it could be despatched by theKeepers, using machetes and clubs, bit Wendi, Olmalo,Taita, and Selengai on a foot and jumped up onto Mulika,nicking her in the ear.

Our Mobile Veterinary Unit was hurriedly despatched toMombasa to source sufficient vaccine to immediatelyinoculate the five elephants that had been bitten whilst wecontacted our friends in the Indian Wildlife

Trust for advice on how weshould now proceed, rabiesbeing prevalent in thatcountry, and many captiveelephants having beenexposed to contact overthe years. Meanwhile, asa precautionary measure,the five that had beenbitten were separatedfrom the others,

Lissa and her two wild born calves

Magnum and Makosa sparring

Ithumba’s rabid dog

something that we knew wouldimpose a great deal of added stress toan already stressful situation.Understanding this, it was a relief tohear that the risk of contaminationthrough saliva was minimal, soinstructions could be given for theelephants to be re-united. The advicegiven us was that the five affectedelephants should undergo the sameregimen as an exposed human,involving a 28 day courseof weekly seruminjections, plus twoboosters later, whilst therest receive theimmunisation vaccine.Following this shockingincident, the IthumbaNight Stockades have beenreinforced against allintrusion, even that of a rat!

Daphne andAngela’s visit toIndia in February,

where Daphne spoke aboutthe orphans during a

keynote speech atthe Venu Menon AnimalAwards, proved aGodsend in more waysthan one, providing theIndian Wildlife Trustwith advice about theirown elephant orphans,particularly aboutrehabilitation strategies,and the contacts we made

proved invaluable in helping us tocope with a rabies crisis.

Back in Voi, 18 year old ex orphan,“Lissa”, and her two wildborn femalecalves return regularly to spend timewith the orphans, still very much partof an extended family, although theyalso belong within the wild herdheaded by “Eleanor’s” friend, theMatriarch named “Catherine”.

Often accompanying Lissa and heryoung are two other ex orphans,namely 12 year old “Mpenzi”, whois her Nannie and an 8 year old bullnamed “Uaso”, whose reappearanceis usually somewhat disruptive forthe younger set, since he throws hisweight around both sexes, usuallyneeding the intervention of Emilyand Aitong to keep him undercontrol.

Our orphaned rhino baby, “Shida”,brought to us last August aged about3 months after his mother died of oldage near the Ivory Burn Site inNairobi National Park, is now astrapping yearling sporting a sizeablebump on his nose. Having outgrownhis Nursery quarters, he now

occupies a large grown-up rhinostockade next door to that previouslyoccupied by feisty “Makosa” whocelebrated his 5th birthday on lstAugust, and now rivals “Magnum” insize, who will be 8 at the end ofJanuary 2005. Both Makosa andMagnum are now fully independentof their Keepers, and part of the wildrhino community in Nairobi National

Park, yet each return on a dailybasis, just to ensure that theirrespective Nursery Stockadeshave not been usurped byanyone else! They tend to tryand avoid each other, being ofvery different temperaments,Magnum returning in themornings, and Makosa in the

evenings. Wheneverthey do happen to meet, what beginsas a friendly bout usuallydeteriorates into a full-blownpunch-up, which is the last thingpeace-loving Magnum needs, andusually ends up with him galloping

A Poacher’s haul of snared Dikdiks

A Poacher’s camp deep in the National Park

Recovered snares, and 3 of six DSWT desnaring vehicles in the background.

Ithumba Tsavo East National Park

off down the hill with Makosa’s very sharp horn eitherup, or inches from, his rear!

When he returns, Magnum normally presents himself atthe front steps of Daphne’s house for a banana, beforewandering to the backyard in search of a Keeper to wheelout his barrowful of kitchen and canteen peelings mixedwith coconut copra. A cavalcade then sets off down thehill – the Keeper and the wheelbarrow in front trailed bya full sized rhino plus an army of opportunistic warthogsof all sizes, with whom Magnum is happy to share themeal. Makosa enjoys a similar offering when he returnsto his Nursery quarters in the evenings, when little Shidais ready and waiting for a spirited challenge through thebars of the Stockade as he passes by, bobbing up and downwith pig-jumps of pleasure, and mewing a wanting soundwhen Makosa decides takes his leave. Rain turns Makosaeven more exuberant and feisty than usual and then it isthe Night Guards who have a hard time, often ending upat the top of the hay pile in the Hay Store!

The De-Snaring Project:-

The commercial bush meat trade is undoubtedly themost serious threat to Kenya’s wildlife today,jeopardising the very existence of many of the

smaller antelope species, particularly those of a territorialnature, such as dikdik. It is unsustainable, incrediblycruel, and set to impact negatively on the country’s vitalTourism Industry, let alone posing a health hazard to

consumers. The futureprosperity of allKenyans, both livingand as yet to be born,is at stake if thisscourge is notaddressed soon by theGovernment throughthe imposition ofdeterrent sentencing.As things stand today,

more often than not it is condoned due to poverty, soperpetrators are usually given extremely light punishmentsinvolving just a short period of community service.

This indiscriminate form of poaching, which affectseverything from elephants to small antelopes, isresponsible for silent slaughter on a massive scale, theextent of which is exposed by the finds of our 6 de-snaringteams who continually patrol what boundaries of Tsavowe can repeatedly cover. They have lifted literallythousands of snares and released what animals have beenfound still alive. Assuming that the animal population ofTsavo East is some 800,000 we have estimated that atleast 300,000 are being lost on an annual basis tobushmeat, so the toll is unsustainable, particular as wildpopulations are subjected to Nature’s ongoing controlssuch as predation, drought and disease and Tsavo is anarid environment where survival is tough. Diseases areknown to be exacerbated by a depressed immune systemand this happens as a result of stress, both physical andpsychological trauma. Wildlife is under siege anddisappearing rapidly, so it is our belief that to even suggestintroducing hunting, is sheer madness. Furthermore,hunting will benefit a few already wealthy individuals,yet the collapse of tourism will impact negatively on everyindividual of this and future generations.

By the end of October, a total of 13,775 snares had beenrecovered by our teams, who unearthed all sorts of horrorsin the process - extensive meat encampments deep inside

the Park, with rows of skinned carcases hanging andpeople arrested with sack-loads of wild game meat.One poacher had 55 dead dikdiks, split open andlaid out like drying fish, esepcially shocking in viewof the fact that the gestation period of a dikdik is 6months, and that these tiny, territorial antelope matefor life. Game meat is filling butcheries throughoutthe country, and because it comes free to the poacherfor just the cost of a piece of wire, it sells cheaperthan the meat of farmed domestic animals, puttingmany small farmers out of business, or forcing themto turn to bush-meat instead. It is no idle prediction

that dikdik and other smallantelope species willbecome extinct in Kenyabefore the Big Five unlesscorrective measures aretaken urgently. Yet, theGovernment seems to chooseto remain in denial – in otherwords, what the eye doesn’tsee, the heart doesn’t grieve!The grieving will come, andit will be devastating when itdoes!

We have been able to add twonew De-Snaring teams to theoriginal four, thanks to support

School field trip into Tsavo West National Park

Trees are distributed to the community from the Trust’s tree nursery

f r o mSafaricom, who havefunded both the set-up andrunning costs of one and The WorldSociety for the Protection of Animals(WSPA) who have done likewise,enabling us to extend our tentaclesand mobilize the new Ziwani team tocover Tsavo West, one of the worsthotspots. Previously our Mtito teammanaged only sporadic patrols in thisSection of the Park, revealing anextremely serious situation – lines ofbush-fences on the Ziwani border nearTanzania, and an enormous death tollof animals, including a baby cheetahcub, who had died just momentsbefore being rescued alive. TheKenyan and U.S.A. branches of theThe African Fund for EndangeredWildlife (AFEW) have very kindlyfunded the running costs of one of theother teams, which has also been animmense help.

We are deeply indebted toSafaricom, WSPA and AFEWKenya and USA for substantialsupport and we sadly miss the

input of Joe Cullman III, along-time past donor of theMtito Team, who most sadlypassed away this year. It was

donations from him specificallyfor de-snaring that prompted us

to take up this mantle in thefirst place. Rest in Peace, dearJoe, and thank you for all you

did to help us help the animals..

At the community level wethank Sue and Joel Gilbert for

their tireless efforts with theJambo Project, which connectsschools from all over the world

to those we support on theboundaries of Tsavo. We also

thank SafariCom for theirsubstatial donation towards themonthly field trips for students

which are led by our TeamLeaders into Tsavo NationalPark. We would also like to

thank Kerrigan Savage WavesTrust for their support of the

community by funding sportingequipment for the schools and a

mobile cinema unit for theBurra desnaring team.

This year the teams have alsosucceeded in bringing a total of 46poachers to book, one a notoriousoffender whom they had beentargeting for months, and whoattacked James Mbuthia, our MtitoTeam Leader during the scuffle with

an axe, slashing his forearm to thebone. For his pains, the poacher wasshot in the leg and we trust that hereceives more than just a few dayscommunity service! Another evengreater tragedy involved a member ofTaita Ranch’s Security team, who diedfrom having been pierced by apoisoned arrow, there being noantidote for the Akokanthera poisonused. Such incidents graphicallyhighlight the dangers attached to thoseactively involved in the bush-meatstruggle.

The Mobile VeterinaryUnit:-

Whilst anxiety anddepression over the bush-meat business undermines

the satisfaction of success, theimpressive record of our MobileVeterinary Unit, is heart-warmingindeed, something we owe entirely toa substantial three year grant from

Vier Pfoten, an Austrain N.G.O. who can well be proudof their contribution to animal welfare. It is thanks entirelyto them that we have been able to mobilize this fullyfunctional and much needed Mobile Veterinary Unit forTsavo and its environs, which has made such a differenceto the sick and wounded. The Unit also covers theRanches abutting Tsavo, the Taita Hills Sanctuary and theAmboseli and Shimba Hills National Parks, so it is keptpretty busy. One side of the custom built Landcruiserfolds down to form a working table for the Vet, and thevehicle also has refrigeration and storage facilities forthe drugs. A full time Veterinarian in the person of Dr.David Ndeereh, who was seconded to the project fromthe KWS Veterinary Pool, has a driver at his disposal andis based in what used to be the Assistant Warden’s home,and which the Trust had to renovate in order to make itagain habitable.

The Unit, which has been operational for just a year, sinceNovember 2003 had, by the end of October 2004,managed to save the lives of 24 elephants, 2 impala, 3buffalo, 2 lions, l cheetah, 4 giraffe, 150 birds, 3 gazellesand 5 zebra, with the loss of just 2 elephant and 2 zebra,too damaged to retrieve and all this in addition to dealingwith the rabies crisis of our Ithumba elephant orphans,and being involved in the rescue of 7 orphaned elephantcalves all under two years old. We were proud that our

Mobile Veterinary Unit and Dr. David Ndeerehsuccessfully managed to translocate several RothschildsGiraffe from the Haller Park in Mombasa to NguuniNature Sanctuary. Giraffe are one of the most difficultanimals to immobilize, so accomplishing this without losswas, indeed, a feat.

It was wonderful, indeed, when the Mobile Veterinary Unitwas able to relieve the agony of a well known elephantMatriarch in Tsavo East, whose one tusk grew in a fullcircle penetrating her head on the opposite side and whomthe Trust first saw some six years ago drinking at the Ndaraborehole. On that occasion, we flew a Vet from Nairobiin order to try and catch up and help her, but sadly thisquest proved fruitless, because the elephant could not befound. Then, this year, our Mobile Veterinary Unitchanced upon her and her family again in roughly the samearea, and managed to immobilize her, remove about l0inches of ivory from deep inside the honeycomb bone ofher skull, and hack a sizeable chunk off the offendingtusk, breaking a hacksaw in the process! It is gratifyingto know that this elephant has at last been relieved of somuch pain, a particularly happy achievement to add tomany others, not least that of a well-known AmboseliMatriarch who had several spears sticking out of her head(again, the work of the Masai) who has since made a fullrecovery.

We thank Vier Pfoten mostsincerely for funding a valuablecontribution to the conservationcause, not forgetting to mention

the excellent cooperation we haveenjoyed from the KWS Veterinary

Unit and to applaud theprofessionalism and commitment

to duty of the

The Mobile Veterinary Unit working on 2 of the 24 elephants the Unit has saved

this year.

Project Vet, Dr. David Ndeereh, who can be proud of his record and whose expertise has been vital tothe success of the Project.

We end the 2004 Newsletter on a note of apprehension over the future of KWS amidst a mountain of intrigue. Theplot thickens on a daily basis, and meanwhile those of us who care, watch – and wait – and pray! Hopefully, thesuccess of the Mara Conservancy which has brought such benefit to the community bordering this magic area, willpoint the way towards non-consumptive utilisation in areas beyond the Protected Areas, so that in Kenya, cruelty andkilling will become a thing of the past.

www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

IN THE U.S.A.

We now have a “supporting charity” in the United States, the United States Friends of The DavidSheldrick Wildlife Trust (“U.S. Friends”). The organization has been recognized by the InternalRevenue Service as a tax-exempt “public charity” to which contributions, gifts and bequests aredeductible for U.S. income, gift and estate taxes. Because U.S. Friends is staffed with unpaidvolunteers, substantially all amounts it receives are contributed to The David Sheldrick WildlifeTrust. Checks can be made out to U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust andsent to:

U.S. Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife TrustOne Indiana SquareSuite 2800Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2079U.S.ATelephone: (317) 238-6218Fax: (317) 636-1507Email: ssmith@kdlegal.com.All contributions will be acknowledged in writing.

IN THE U.K.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has recently become a charity registered in the U.K.Charity No 1103836Cheque donations made out to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust U.K. should beaccompanied by the Gift Aid form which can be printed off the Trust Websitewww.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org The Gift Aid form can be located on the HOWTO DONATE PAGE under U.K.

Donations can be sent to:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust7 Cambridge SquareLondon W2 2PSTelephone: +44 (0) 20 7402 1027Email: rc-h@africaonline.co.ke

FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF U.K. AND U.S.A

If you live outside of the U.K. and the U.S.A. donations to The David Sheldrick WildlifeTrust should be sent to our U.K representative, as cheques through the post directly to Kenyaare not always safe. The cheque should be made out to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trustand sent to:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust1 Hunterfield Park,Gorebridge,Midlothian EH23 4AYSCOTLANDU.K.Tel:- +44 (0) 1875 821957

Email: cath@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

OR

Wire a donation direct to our Nairobi Bank, using our Bank’s corresponding Overseas Bank,informing us by Email which bank the donation has been sent through and how much, so that we

can confirm safe arrival.

Our Email address:- rc-h@africaonline.co.ke

US$ to Kenya:- Send through:- The American Express Bank Ltd., American Express Tower, 23rd

Floor 200 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10285FED ABA ROUTING NO. – 124071889Swift Address AEIBUS33for the Credit of ~The Commercial Bank of Africa, P.O. Box 30437 Wabera/ Standard Streets,Nairobi, KenyaAccount No. 731141Swift Address CBAFKENXFor Final Credit of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Account No. 0-151-270-506 using FIN103

Sterling £ to Kenya through the corresponding bank:- HSBC bank Plc., 27-32 Poultry, London,EC2P 2BXSort Code: 400000 Swift Code: MIDLGB 22for the credit of The Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd., Account No. 38142142Swift Code: CBAFKENXFor Final Credit of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Account No. 0-151-270-018 using FIN103

Euros to Kenya through the corresponding bank:-Commerzbank AG, D-60261 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Swift: COBADEFFFor the credit of The Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd, EURO Account: 400 8770109 00EURSwift Address: CBAFKENX,For Final Credit of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Account No: 0-151-270-018 using FIN103

The Commercial Bank of Africa’s Kenya address details are :

COMMERCIAL BANK OF AFRICACommercial Bank Building, Standard/Wabera Streets

Nairobi KenyaP.O. Box 30437 Telephone: + 254 20228881

Cable Address “COMAFBANK”Telex: 22236, 23115

Fax: + 254 20 335827SWIFT: CBAFKENX