Elephant translocation: KWS meticulously moves forty-seven elephants

An elephant is lifted onto a truck after capture, ready for transportation to the recovery room at the Mwea National Reserve. [Courtesy, KWS]

In an operation that was conducted with extreme precision, and security details, KWS in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism captured and translocated two elephant families from Mwea National Reserve to the Aberdare National Park on Monday. 

Rebecca Miano, Ministry of Tourism, oversaw the operation, which KWS staff conducted with a lot of careful consideration. The operation from capture to release was witnessed by local and international journalists, invited guests and communities from Mwea and Aberdare. 

“Translocations are a last resort, only to be mobilised in situations where elephants cannot safely stay in their natural ecosystem, land in this case, Mwea National Reserve had become overcrowded, leading to frequent human-wildlife conflicts,” said PS Miano. 

She said the reserve had become too small for the 156 elephants, noting that if nothing is done to address the situation there would be huge consequences of human-wildlife conflicts to destruction of the entire ecosystem. 

She said the scientific facts showed that the 42 square kilometre reserve that was established in 1976 has over the last two decades seen a growth of the elephant population from only 49 in 1979 to the present 156 elephants. 

According to Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga, the overpopulation in Mwea highlighted the success of conservation efforts over the last three decades of a fight by KWS to eliminate poaching 

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano re-dehydrates an elephant after it was captured for translovcation at the Mwean National Park. [Courtesy, KWS] 

“This shows that poaching has been low and the elephants have been able to thrive,” Kanga,” said. However, he explained, elephants are a keystone species that are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems but if they are not checked, or are confined to “small spaces they can lead to environmental degradation and escalate human-wildlife conflicts. 

The two elephant families, seven in total are part of the 50 elephants slated for translocation by the end of the exercise. Already, a total of 43 elephants have been translocated to the 766 square Km that has a rich ecosystem suitable for wildlife, 

An elated PS Miano termed the operation as an eighth wonder of the world. “This will go down in history as a record, as it is the biggest exercise of its kind, and it is the first time we are witnessing the translocation of 50 elephants at a go.” 

The team

Not less than 100 wildlife specialists were involved in the historical operation – the first time a huge number of elephants were being translocated within a timeline. Each of the 100-member teams had a specific role to play. 

A lot of study, research and the pros and cons of the operation with options and solutions were put into consideration before the exercise began a while over two weeks ago (Already 43 tagged elephants have found a new home at Aberdare National Park, courtesy of the translocation exercise. The entire process was done with precision to the smallest detail

 Timing

The exercise had timelines – the shortage time to cover the 120-kilometre stretch from Mwea National Reserve to Aberdare to shield the elephants from stress. The exercise started at dawn with equipment ranging from specially fitted trucks to aircraft and cruisers. 

Before the darting and capture, a fixed-wing aircraft conducted aerial surveillance to track down herds of elephants, which naturally move in small families of about five. The craft was in constant communication with two helicopters used to herd and separate the elephants to ensure they were relocated with their family units. 

A captured elephant at the recovery room at the Mwea National Park. [Courtesy, KWS]

Aboard one of the helicopters is an expert, whose responsibility was to look and spot, elephants, which he would point out to a veterinarian with a tranquillizer gun who would proceed to “dart” the elephants 

Once an elephant is sedated, a ground team of veterinary specialists and rangers rushes to find it and clear thickets to make way for transport crews. Its vitals are monitored as another team of rangers works on lifting the massive animal, weighing hundreds of kilograms, onto specialized trucks, to be driven 120 kilometres (74 miles) to their new home. 

Once the sedated elephants are safely aboard the truck, they are transported to the KWS Mwea base, where they are offloaded to a special truck called the recovery room. After they “wake up from their brief slumber” (for scientific reasons they are not allowed to stay drugged for more than twenty minutes), they are then transferred to another 50-tonne special truck ready to start their translocation journey. 

After three hours, they are at the Aberdare National Park, where the “release to the wild” is meticulously carried out with precision to avoid any shortfalls – such as the elephants turning back on the team or running amok instead of running in the wild of their new home. 

According to the Director General, the project has cost approximately Sh12 million ($93,000), a cost that has been revised to make the operation spend as little money as possible jeopardising the success of the operation. 

He said KWS has done many translocations, several involving multiple elephants, others involving only bulls, but we have made history in this special operation as we have never before moved entire family units of this magnitude. 

“Every logistic — of which there are many, in a translocation — was quadrupled,” said PS Miano in her closing remarks at the Aberdare at the end of the successful operation.