Samburu Long Term Monitoring Monthly Report Oct 2008

Author(s)

by David Daballen

Date Published

A brief summary of recordings in Samburu on the Long Term Monitoring for the month of Oct 2008.

Total monthly rainfall: 385

Number of Days Spent Monitoring: 16 days

Total Number of Individuals Recorded: 446

Total Number Bulls: 6

Total Number Cows/Calves: 440

Proportion (%) Recorded Last Month: 57%

Number of Mature Bulls: 6

Number of New Calves: 27

Number of Estrus Females: Nil

Number of Deaths: Nil 2

Recorded Births: 7

Estrus/Matings: None Recorded

Deaths: None within our patrol

Musth: Nil

Field Notes:

There was one Shaba poaching incident, which I believe I have sent email around with pictures. Typical poachers style they covered the carcass with a lot of dry branches to avoid vultures to find the carcass. This happened about 2-3 Kms from are rangers out post. We have filled in mike just for future references.

Oct 13, we found a 15 years old male dead elephants on the boundary between Kalama and SNR. Cause of death gunshots, Kalama scouts who found the carcass said, they followed a poll of blood trail for about 200m before the found the dead elephants. To me it looks like elephants have been shot by the herds that by then are herding the cattle at night in the park due to the drought situation. Since the animal still had the tusk, even after it’s been there for ten days that is why I think it’s very unlikely its poaching.

Re-collaring Lechakwet’s Cattle.

This collar was first deployed July 24, In Sera to the same herd (Lechakwet’s) early September NRT Juliet drop the collar in W/gate and saying the collar failed from the cow. STE staff picked the collar and put up at A/stripe until for some time to wait the cattle to come, into same accessible country.

The whole of Oct, there was a lot of problem between the ethnic groups living to North east of Shaba and beyond. Samburu, Turkana’s and Borana have been attacking and revenging from each other. After several attempt of trying finding these cattle in Sapache and Learata area, we finally found them on 21 and deployed the collar to the same cattle.