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Wildlife Works Anti-Poaching Pilot Spots Injured Elephant
Oct 8, 2015 : Rukinga, Kenya: This morning Wildlife Works’ anti poaching pilot Keith Hellyer, spotted this bull elephant in serious trouble on the sanctuary. The elephant was resting in the thicket alone, with a large lump on his side, which was feared to be an infection from a poison arrow. The elephant was unresponsive to the aircraft, a clear sign that he was in severe pain. Wildlife Works ground team immediately responded to the scene and kept watch on the elephant while we waited for a vet from Amboseli National Park to arrive. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was able to bring their vet team in to tranquilize the bull for treatment. After…
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A Letter from Our Head Ranger
ELEPHANT POACHING STILL HIGH Elephant and rhino poaching has recently been declared a “national disaster” in Kenya by former head of Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) Richard Leakey. The magnitude of poaching has reached terrifying levels and poachers are operating with outrageous impunity, backed up by an extraordinary network of organized crime. Unfortunately the Kasigau Corridor has not been immune from this increase in elephant poaching. Whilst the year started relatively calmly, March and April saw a significant rise in poaching incidents, totaling 30 elephants by mid May. The worst incident to date saw six elephants shot dead on Dawida Ranch, four of which were youngsters not bearing tusks. A further…
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Three Elephants Killed in Taita Ranch as Asia’s Thirst for Ivory Grows
We’re saddened to report that three elephants were killed this past Sunday in Taita Ranch, at the far end of our project area. The poachers, four armed Somalis, were discovered by Kenya Wildlife Service and Wildlife Works rangers as they were removing the tusks from the dead elephants. They immediately fled the scene, with a brief exchange of gunfire aimed at a Kenya Wildlife Service vehicle. The poachers were pursued following the attacks but have yet to be caught. The incident reflects a growing demand for ivory in East Asia, and China in particular, where the material is considered a symbol of affluence and prestige. Despite the efforts of Wildlife Works and…
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Update on Ijema, Our Injured Ranger
Thank you to all who donated to the families of Ijema, our injured ranger, and Abdi, our ranger who suffered a fatal gunshot wound. We received an outpouring of heartfelt messages from all over the world as well as generous donations that totaled $6781, which has been passed on to both families on your behalf. Abdi’s family will also benefit from Wildlife Works hiring one of their family members, Ali Adoww, who is currently being trained as a ranger. Wildlife Works has put Ijema up in a comfortable home in town and is supporting him through his recovery, including the surgeries to repair his shoulder. The titanium shoulder was donated…
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Injured Elephant Treated on Rukinga
BY ROB DODSON – VP – RUKINGA – 15th February 2011 Our Wildlife Works rangers at our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project came across a large male elephant that was having trouble walking and so we called in the Sheldrick Trust vet to dart him and have a look at the heavily swollen leg. Our rangers led the vet through the thick bush to where the elephant was leaning against a tree, showing obvious severe discomfort. A dart was successfully shot into his flank and he went down after a few minutes and we were able to have a good look at him. We found that he had a small but…
