Recently, a large and varied team of wildlife conservation organisations partook in what was Kenya’s first national wildlife census. We, at the Trust were asked to play our own part in this Kenya Wildlife Services’ organised operation.
The nation-wide project was funded by the Kenyan government and it’s intent is to build a greater, more comprehensive picture of the state of this country’s wildlife. Census takers were asked to count every animal that they saw.
The collated information will help wildlife conservationists in this country to better understand population sizes, density, geographical distribution and, with reference to historical records or as a reference for censuses taken in the future, a means of illustrating changes to these results.
The results of this wildlife census are yet to be published but, with one of our pilots and one of our Tsavo Trust-employed observer’s playing their part in this huge, and essential, project, we found results of our own that particularly pleased us.
What we did?
The Tsavo Trust contributed 1 fixed wing aircraft, a pilot and an observer to the wildlife census project. Over 8 days, this small team of Tsavo Trust employees flew 5,492km and spent 43 hours in the air.
The census-taking organised the Tsavo Conservation Area into transects and each evening a team was given the transect of their focus for the following day. Flying north-south routes within these pre-ascribed grid blocks, the pilot and observer counted whatever wildlife they saw.
From tiniest dik-dik to elephant, we recorded all that we found. To accurately scan each of the transects given, we found that one aircraft took a total of 8 hours. Conducting this sort of aerial scan is not without its difficulties. Fortunately, our teams, trained as they are for the constant monitoring of elephant in the Tsavo Conservation Area, are well-versed in this type of aerial surveillance.
What makes this type of work a little easier, also, is the specific characteristics of the aircraft we used. The Super Cub aircraft that are our elephant conservation workhorses are perfect for conservation. In an earlier article, we explore all of these characteristics in detail but suffice it to say here that the Super Cub’s slow flying speed and ability to keep its self from stalling at such slow speeds makes it ideal for census taking of animals.
What our Tsavo Trust team found?
Huge credit must be given to the Kenyan government and its Kenya Wildlife Service for this initiative. Nation-wide censuses are essential for this country. We need them, and regularly, if we are to ensure we have a comprehensive picture of the state of this country’s wildlife in general.
Our expertise was drafted into this project, alongside that of other not-for-profit organisations, for the skillset we’ve built in this particular sphere of conservation. And, obviously, as a result of our specific backgrounds, we, while keeping the overall project in mind, kept an eye peeled for evidence of elephant activity in the areas we surveyed.
Our pilot and observer relished the opportunity to fly in areas that normally they might not have. They also enjoyed the scanning for other animasl that might not normally have been their prime objective.
They counted large and encouraging numbers of cheetah and lion. Our team reported seeing a number of hirola antelope which was incredible news for conservation in general. The hirola is critically endangered. There are thought to be between 300 and 500 living hirola alive in the wild and none in captivity. Reports of a sighting of these rare animals are encouraging but still highlight the importance of protection in these areas.
Of course, our team also kept a lookout for the elephant that are our usual wards. Though the results of this census are not yet published, and our team only saw what was in their transects, the preliminary results seem promising.
We eagerly await the publication of this nation-wide census and look longingly forward to seeing what it says about elephant conservation country-wide. We hope, and not without cause, to see that the elephant population in Tsavo has increased. We’ve seen certain signs that suggest the number is definitely growing but, with this census’ published results, we might have the proof that will set it in stone.