Tembo Teams – Background
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Tsavo Trust works in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), through a valid Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering several programs and objectives across the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) including enhancing aerial and ground operations as well as wildlife monitoring with a special emphasis on Tsavo's iconic Super 'Tuskers'.
The TCA spans a massive 42,000 square kilometers (22,000 square kilometers of National Park alone) and harbour's immense biodiversity. The TCA holds the single largest population of elephants in Kenya – approximately 15,000 today – and arguably the world's last viable population and gene pool of elephants carrying exceptionally large and long ivory.
Tembo Protection Teams
With a strong aerial unit providing 'eyes in the skies', Tsavo Trust recognised the need for ground support to KWS along the Tsavo East National Park's (TENP) southern boundary, resulting in the establishment of the Tembo 1 team in 2014. Following the successful achievements of this team, a second biodiversity protection unit, Tembo 3, was established for operations in 2016.
Tsavo Trust now operates the full time deployment of the Tembo 1 , Tembo 3, Tembo 5, Tembo 7, Kamungi and Shirango Community Scout ground teams, that provide operational support to KWS, to secure the southern boundary of TENP (Tembo 1 and Shirango Scouts – Shirango Community Conservancy; and Tembo 7 – Kulalu Ranch) and the northern boundary of Tsavo West National Park (TWNP) (Tembo 3 – Kamboyo;Tembo 5 and Kamungi Scouts – Triangle / Kamungi Conservancy and surrounding environs).
By increasing ground patrol coverage and wildlife protection efforts effectively; their permanent presence in the sectors they operate deter poachers. With a vehicle permanently deployed with each team Tembo team (4), at least four foot patrols per team can be achieved simultaneously, night ambushes can be set up following increased intelligence, and better coverage can be maintained.
Tembo Monitoring Teams
Tsavo Trust's Tembo 2 and Tembo 4 units operate in support of KWS's Research and Monitoring Departments within the TCA, mainly in TENP and TWNP, but also in surrounding areas bordering the National Parks.
The main emphasis for these units is to monitor the large 'Tuskers' (Tembo 2) and Key 1 Black Rhino population (Tembo 4) as often as possible in-situ on the ground and frequently in tandem with aerial activities whereby ground deployments can be guided. In so doing a layer of 'eyes and ears' at ground level is achieved to compliment the 'eyes in the skies' under the aerial unit.
A combined of ground and aerial activities has proven to produce far better monitoring results and in turn provides a greater security blanket for Tsavo's 'Tuskers' and wildlife. For example in September 2014 there were only 14 different observations made of Tuskers (12 known individuals) yet in 2020 there were 356 different observations made consisting of 10 iconic bulls, 18 emerging bulls and 4 iconic cow Tuskers. Within the TCA there are only 10 remaining big iconic Super 'Tuskers' (those with ivory to the ground and over 45kg each tusk), a further 24 emerging bull Tuskers and 5 iconic cow Tuskers are known by Tsavo Trust to exist.
All ground protection and monitoring teams have been trained and vetted, equipped with all necessary equipment (tents, digital radio's, binoculars, GPS, camera, uniforms, phones with cyber tracker software) and have the full endorsement of KWS for these collaborative support units.
Tembo 1 – Ground Protection Team
Tembo 1 is a joint KWS / Tsavo Trust Anti-Poaching team, equipped with a new 4×4 vehicle (with support from DOI / USAID December 2019) that operates from KWS Dakota Base on the southern boundary of TENP (Tsavo Trust totally upgraded this KWS outpost in the second half of 2018 to include kitchen, mess, ranger accommodation, and staff welfare amenities).
The Tembo 1 team has been deployed to complement KWS's efforts in the southern section of TENP. This section forms the 56km southern boundary of TENP including the Shirango Conservancy boundary. This location is both historically and currently a 'poaching hot spot', particularly poisoned arrow hunters for elephant ivory and bushmeat poachers. It was in this section that the well-known 'Tusker', Satao, was poached by poisoned arrow in late May 2014 (his carcass found by Tsavo Trust). Bushmeat poachers use snares and night-time 'lamping' to kill varying species of wildlife (subsistence and commercial), which is a significant threat along this southern TENP boundary. Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) with elephant raiding small scale farmlands has aggravated local communities against elephants and also predation of livestock by lion, leopard and hyena remains an issue.
Tembo 2 – Ground Monitoring Team
Tembo 2 team operates from KWS Tsavo Research Centre in Voi and are usually accompanied by 2 or 3 KWS Research Assistants.
The Tembo 2 teams main role is to monitor Big Tuskers, Large Carnivores, Grevy's Zebra and the critically endangered Hirola in TENP. Other activities undertaken by the Team include Rail/Road kill surveys along Mombasa – Nairobi highway and Voi – Taveta road. The aim of this activity being to determine wildlife crossing points to inform infrastructural developments in Tsavo. Tembo 2 also collects data on collared elephants under the KWS, STE and TT partnership project. Other activities performed by the Team include Fixed Point Photography and rainfall data collection all aimed at monitoring effects of climate change in Tsavo. All data is recorded on cybertracker loaded on android phones and managed on SMART.
Since their deployment, in 2015 , the team has assisted in better understanding Tsavo's Big Tuskers home-ranges and seasonal movement patterns . Tembo 2 has assisted in identifying new Big Tuskers. The Joint KWS/TT Teams has also been crucial in providing population estimates of Large carnivores, Grevy's zebra and Hirola as well as updating distribution maps of these species. Tembo 2 have also been involved in ivory recoveries/collection within TENP preventing these from getting into wrong hands and finding their way into the illegal Ivory trade.
Personnel:
Tembo 2 team consists of 3 Tsavo Trust men, led by 1 Field Officer (holds a degree in wildlife management), 1 driver and 1 Field Assistant (all of whom received elephant identification training by Save The Elephants in Northern Kenya in September 2014). In addition at least 2 KWS field research staff makes up the complete Tembo 2 team, who conduct field-monitoring patrols on a daily basis in TENP.
Tembo 2 4 147
Equipment:
Tembo 2 is mobile, self sufficient and able to move across TENP with a 4 x 4 vehicle fabricated and modified for rugged off road conditions. Other equipment includes tentage, camp beds, bedrolls, cooking utensils, camera, binoculars; GPS, mobile phone, radios, staff salary costs and food ration supplies (see budget breakdown below).
Wildlife monitoring:
The Tembo 2 team currently provides the only platform available in TENP Research Department for meaningful field data collection to KWS (presently there is no vehicle or resources at KWS's disposal) and this reflects the importance of the Tembo teams to Park Management. As well as big Tusker monitoring, this on-going project also contributes valuable data on endangered and threatened species including the Hirola or Hunters antelope (Beatragus hunter, Endangered), Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi, Endangered); African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus, Endangered), Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, Vulnerable), Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious, Vulnerable) and Lion (Panthera leo, Vulnerable) – thereby adding value to any investment in this project as well as an excellent example of where Government/Private conservation partnerships exist.
Through the consistent findings of the aerial unit combined with the Tembo 2 team, the Tsavo Trust maintains a database on relevant information gathered pertaining to the big Tuskers. This information has been collected since the Tsavo Trust BTP began in January 2013.
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Tembo 3 operates from the 'Tsavo Triangle', Kishushe Ranch on the border of TWNP, the area around Lake Jipe and along the Tsavo River TWNP. These areas have historically been a 'hot spot' for bush meat and Ivory poaching, particularly armed rifle poaching as well as poisoned arrow. Tembo 3 is a roving team and fills in for other Tembo teams when they are on leave or on special deployments outside of their normal areas of operations.
Tembo 4 operates from KWS Research Office in Kamboyo, Mtito Andei. Their main role is to monitor Big Tuskers and assist KWS in monitoring the Key 1 black rhino population in TWNP. The team also collects data on other 'high value' species and operates on the exact same basis as Tembo 2.
Since their deployment, in 2017 , the team has assisted in better understanding Tsavo's Big Tuskers home-ranges. Tembo 4 has also participated jointly with KWS and ZSL in conducting yearly rhino night censuses to determine the population trend of rhinos in Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary. As of April 2020 the team has been deployed full time in the TWNP Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) as a joint KWS/TT and ZSL venture, where they closely monitor the IPZ and ranches that boarder onto it. Since their recent re-deployment the team has ready assisted in the recovery of Rhino horn (natural fall off) and have been successful in monitoring rhino births and movements on the endangered species within the IPZ and Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary.
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Tembo 5 is based from Kamungi HQ on the north boundary of the 'Tsavo Triangle' but is a roaming mobile team, spreading their activities as far as Tsavo River and much of the TWNP Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) covering 3,000km2 (1 head scout, 1 driver, 5 scouts, plus 3 armed KWS Rangers all with field rations).
Kamungi Scouts are an anti-poaching team that until January 2020, were operating jointly with Tembo 5. This team operates on foot and bicycle from Kamungi Conservancy HQ base located right on the northern boundary of the 'Tsavo Triangle' (this base was upgraded in early 2020 with a block of five rooms), and into the local environs of community land surrounding it. When operating inside the PA they have KWS armed rangers attached.
Tembo 7 was deployed in March 2021 and is based from Kulalu Ranch on the southern boundary of TENP but is a roaming mobile team, spreading their activities as far as the Shirango Community Conservancy, to the Aruba area and much of the TENP.
