Inside the mass translocation of herbivores to Lake Jipe Conservancy

“We are planning a mass capture this time round. Are you interested in covering this?” Liz Gichuki from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) communication team asked me on the phone. I had never heard of such before.

“What does that consist of?” I asked, curiously.

She explained that the KWS team was going to capture a bunch of herbivores en masse and translocate them; and that the exercise would involve a helicopter.

Fast-forward to our arrival at the 28,000-acre Taita Taveta Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the vast Tsavo ecosystem and home to the herbivores that will no longer call this place home. They’ll be moved to the relatively new Lake Jipe Conservancy,  further south, to boost the number of species that exist there.

Re-introductions or introductions of species to a particular habitat are part of regular wildlife management. And when secure space for wildlife is limited due to urbanisation and land use changes, the request for more animals to populate Lake Jipe Conservancy is welcome.

Dr Isaac Lekolool, the head of veterinary and capture services at KWS, explains: “Over the last few years, there has been a huge decline of wildlife numbers. So, whenever we get an opportunity to win space for wildlife, we grab it because such opportunities are rare.”

The mission is to capture and translocate 20 zebras and 20 hartebeests, or kongonis – a large, fawn-coloured antelope. But capturing wild animals is no easy task, and for this particular exercise, the KWS team must build a trap large enough to hold the animals, and one that looks somewhat natural. They first identify an area relatively close to where the animals have been sighted. Using poles and canvas, they skillfully build a funnel-like structure that is wide at one end and gradually gets narrower towards the other end. It’s a job that takes almost two full days to complete.

Help from above is also required for this mission, and that is in the form of a helicopter, which will be used to sight the animals and drive them towards the capture site.

But why not just dart them and load them into the truck?

Campaign Limo, a KWS vet and a professional spotter, explains: “The drugs we use for immobilising animals are imported and very expensive. So, if you can drive them at once, you avoid the cost of drugs, save time and capture the animals at a go. You avoid anaesthesia and the reversal drug for those animals, so you’re just pushing them when they’re conscious, in a comfortable state”.

During any kind of capture and translocation, a high survival rate of the animals is critical, and they must not get too stressed.

The team sets off with the aim of spotting and driving the zebras towards the site first as they are the smarter species compared to the kongonis, and they could present more challenges.

After about 10 minutes, a herd is sighted. But the loud helicopter noise frightens the zebras and they start running away. Captain Koech skillfully maneuvers the chopper to keep up with them. The herd runs towards the bushes. They pick up speed, and so does the helicopter. They turn around and finally, Captain Koech drives them towards the capture site.

But the mission is not yet over. The zebras realise something is not looking right, and they turn around. Captain Koech is not giving up. He maneuvers again, and the zebras run faster. It eventually becomes too challenging to keep the herd together, and they escape. The zebras have outsmarted humans.

Day two.

The team decides to be less ambitious with the animals they target first. The search for the kongonis is on. These antelopes don’t carry a reputation of being very smart.

Soon, a herd is spotted at a distance, from the air, and the herding process begins. Kongonis are one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring runners — capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour.

This time round it’s more straightforward, and the kongonis run straight into the trap. The partition is quickly closed to block them from escaping.

Now back to the zebras.

The team spots a smaller herd of zebras. With precision, Captain Koech pressures them into the contained space. They know they’ve been trapped and run around, looking for an escape, but they have nowhere to run, except towards the funnel.

The partitions close in on them, but still, they’re determined to find a way out.

It gets dramatic. The team has to chase the herd with sticks. Finally, the last partition is closed.

The zebras walk through the funnel into the truck. It’s a win for the capture team —  six zebras and 12 hartebeests have been captured.

The truck sets off immediately for Lake Jipe Conservancy, as the animals shouldn’t be kept waiting for too long — any male zebra present in the crate could start attacking the females out of aggression.

After a two-hour drive, the animals arrive at the 1,400-acre conservancy, where vegetation and water are abundant. The ecosystem will also benefit from their presence as these herbivores graze on hardened grass that is difficult for other herbivores to digest, making way for tender leaves and grass to grow. They are also expected to boost tourism here.

In 2021, KWS populated the conservancy with 22 zebras, seven wildebeests and two hartebeests. Today, there are almost 300 animals at the conservancy.

Additional reporting by Robert Gichira... Watch NTV Wild Talk’s “Mass Capture!” episode tonight at 8.25pm on NTV Kenya or on ntvkenya.co.ke