In your opinion, Why do you think Sior fed on the dead lioness?

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

February 1, 2023/by Abraham Njenga

Ecology, Habitat, Rangers Diary

Grass is greener at other people’s feet because they watered it

Grass is greener at other people’s feet because they watered it. You need not let your environment control you; you have what it takes to make it look beautiful! If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, chances are it’s getting better care.

“I asked the waiter, ‘Is this milk fresh?’ He said, ‘Lady, three hours ago it was grass.’” -Phyllis Diller

Did you know that there are about 10,000 species of grass species in the world? Let’s leave it at that, rather how many grass species do you know?

Well if you can’t come up with any from your biology class then let’s take a moment and lemmie school you for a moment back to basic botany, from an ecological perspective we can break down grass spp into two basic categories decreasers and increasers, I hope we are still on the same boat but to make things clear for the benefit of doubt lets further expound; Decreaser species dominate ranges in good condition and deteriorate with either overuse or sparing use. Increaser I species dominate underutilized rangelands while Increaser II dominate those that have been over utilized.

Common grass spp

Themeda triandra: Red oat grass

Highly nutritious grass, main attraction of Wildebeests to Mara

This grass is widespread, growing in undisturbed grasslands to savanna, in areas of average to high rainfall. Although the grass grows in any type of soil, it prefers clay and soils with high organic content.

It is an important decreaser that is well adapted to fire, a common element of many areas where it is found. Inappropriate grazing management, however, can result in a decline of Themeda, as it is not well adapted to an uninterrupted, selective grazing regime. A decline in abundance of Themeda in a grassland is usually coupled to a decline in grazing value, species richness, cover and ecosystem function.

2. Cynodon dactylon-Star grass

Star grass (cynodon dactylon), Bermuda grass or couch grass is a creeping perennial grass mainly having stolons and rhizomes. It can be a serious weed where it is not cultivated especially in arable farming or pastures.

It is usually unsuitable for crop/pasture rotation but a valuable permanent pasture which can resist animal trampling.

It grows tall if not grazed and become stemmy and coarse therefore unpalatable having very high fibre content. To keep high palatability the grass should be grazed closely before they attain maturity. If grazing is not possible mowing should be done.

3. Pennisetum clandestinum – Kikuyu grass

Kikuyu grass Pennisetum clandestinum is a very fast growing lawn grass that is common in Kenya (as the name itself). A native grass in Kenya, it has been introduced to many countries in the world.

This type of grass has dark green leaves that have a blunt apex. The leaves are broad and fold inwards at the midrib. In cold areas, Kikuyu grass forms a dense sod. In warm areas, it hardly forms a dense sod

Kikuyu grass has medium tolerance to heat and drought. Irrigation is therefore advised in hot and dry areas. Fertilize your lawn properly and allow it to grow densely for it to withstand episodes of drought. Its a well-growing stand of Kikuyu grass will effectively smother out weeds.

4. Eragrostis superba (Maasai love grass)

It is a perennial species, densely tufted which is quick growing up to 1m
tall. Has large, flat, attractive spikelets, up to 16 mm long, green, often
flushed purple when young.

Lovegrass is commonly used as livestock fodder. The seeds appear to be of high nutritional value for some animals, but they are also very tiny and collecting them for human food is cumbersome and hence uncommon.

5. Bothriochloa insculpta – Creeping bluegrass

Bothriochloa insculpta is a tufted, leafy, more or less stoloniferous grass that reaches a height of 30-150 cm. The stoloniferous stems are waxy and reddish pink to mauve in colour. The runners generally do not root from the nodes. Seed bearing stems are finer, erect, yellow in colour and have spreading hairs at their nodes. The numerous leaves of creeping bluegrass are glaucous with a powdery wax coating.It has been used for reseeding pastoral denuded land in Kenya.

6. Enteropogon acicularis – Curly Windmill Grass, Umbrella Grass, Spider Grass

Perennial grass 25cm-1.1m tall. Leaves with a hairless or hairy sheath at the base. Ligule a membrane without a fringe of hairs. Leaves 5-20cm long, 2-6mm wide, flat, surface rough, hairy or hairless, with rough edges. Spikelets purple or brown, 7-11mm long. Seeds with one awn, in pairs. Mature seed groups digitate, with cylindrical branches.

What Next

If you’ve learned something new from this then it’s about time to broaden up your knowledge about grass spp, try making your own catalog with your notebook, phones camera, and Wikipedia it might surprise you how easy it’s going to be identifying new grass spp from your backyard collecting of specimens for future reference and mounting them while classifying them is the next phase, for anyone undertaking or just completed a course in natural resource management or environmental science-related course then this should really be my challenge to you.

Don’t forget to learn what you stumble across with us, have fun at it…

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

April 6, 2020/by Abraham Njenga

ESSENTIAL TIPS ON HOW TO CONDUCT YOURSELF AROUND ELEPHANTS

Elephants are by far the most charismatic gentle giants you will ever come across in our unique African wilderness areas, their size alone makes them extraordinary, but their complex family life and structure, intelligence and their individual personalities set them apart too. As more and more tourists visit these conservation areas and are more exposed to elephants, it is likely that the number of human-elephant encounters will definitely increase correspondingly.

Elephant viewing just like any other wildlife there are some ground rules that I believe through my experience as a park warden are not necessarily ignored but are often not understood by our park visitors, visiting the wildlife conservation areas is always a thrilling adventure be it with family or friends you awaken your connection with nature and get a unique excitement watching wild animals up close in the comfort of your vehicle but most often we find ourselves being carried away and end risking our lives.

We don’t always have the privilege to have a “professional guide” with us while on the game drives and often are time you find yourself in a situation you have no idea what to do next when we enter into their territory is essential to keep this three maxims in mind

You are in their home area – At all times, elephants must be given right of way at all times
Elephants have a “Personal space” which do not like to be invaded, it’s always wise to keep a 50 M distance
Elephants are intelligent animals, have emotions and mainly want to be left in peace. while viewing wildlife its wise to keep any noise to the minimal, radios or music from the vehicle should be off, no hooting or banging the sides of the vehicle

How to approach Elephants

Elephants in most conservation areas are used to vehicles and humans will go about their daily business and ignore any human observer. Relaxed and friendly elephant behaviour is ordinarily characterised by; eyes casting down, tail generally swaying from side to side while the elephant is feeding or even entwining trunks or placing the trunk tip into other elephants mouth (reassuring gestures used for greeting and in-play mode)

You will often observe elephants freezing from time to time and stretching out their trumpet towards you or by twisting their trunk tip towards your direction, it’s their way of sniffing and assessing if you’re a potential threat

Do not go closer than 50m to the animals and switch off the engine. If the elephants are comfortable, you can sit quietly and enjoy the experience, never allow the elephants especially solitary male to get too close to your vehicle, do not to let the elephants approach to within 20m of your vehicle and never allow them to touch it. If the elephants approach within this zone, switch the engine on, wait a few seconds and slowly back away.

Always assess the elephants’ direction of movement. Do not block them, cut off their escape route, or come between a mother and calf. Allow them a clear path away from the area.

Never drive into a heard or separate a mother and her calf

If switching the engine on appears to aggravate the elephant, switch it off immediately, wait a few minutes and then try to retreat again. Retreat slowly if the elephants are showing any signs of unease or mild threat

If you are in an open safari vehicle, do not stand up or make sudden movements on the vehicle. This may frighten the elephant and cause a threatening or aggressive response.

The following are some of the most obvious threatening behaviours displayed by elephants:

An elephant will always warn you to show aggression when you’re too close or when it feels intimidated by your presence it wants you to retreat. It is essential to be able to read the early signs and slowly back off, the initial signs include; Trunk up in the air sniffing, throwing around twigs, front foot lift, trunk twisting, displacement feeding (plucking at vegetation but not feeding on it but slapping it against the body, pretending to be feeding but it’s fixated at watching you) Make no sudden movements. If you do not heed to the initial warning signs the elephant may resort to more aggressive threat display behaviour or even launch a charge be it a mock charge which is quite common or otherwise without other warnings.

At any of the advanced threatening behaviours highlighted below remember never to compromise your safety and slowly retreat and leave the area because you must be infringing into their space thus making them very uncomfortable.

Spreading the ears

The elephant faces an opponent head-on with ears fully spread (at 90 degrees from the body), presumably for the purpose of appearing larger.

Shaking head

The shake usually starts with the head twisted to one side and is then rapidly rotated from side to side. The ears slap against the side of the face or neck making a loud smacking sound. Followed by throwing grass.

Trumpeting or air blast

Trumpeting is a sign of annoyance, the trunk can also be used to blow air out with a loud popping sound

Ear slapping against the body

Ear slapping is a definite sign displayed, an ear slapped against the side of the body as it shakes the head often done towards people or cars.

Tusking the ground

Bends down or kneels both tusks on the ground, pushing their trunk along the ground or uprooting vegetation uplifts vegetation as a demonstration of “look what I will do with you if you don’t back off”. It is mostly done by musth males ( musth is a periodic condition in bull elephants characterized by highly aggressive behaviour and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones)

Rushing forward

Typical mock charge, two or three times charges towards you with the ears spread out after a loud trumpet and makes a sudden stopping, kicking up dust with the forefoot and swinging its trunk towards you.

Real charge

Rushes towards the vehicle, ears spread, head held low, trunk tightly curved, tusks directed towards your direction, and this time no trumpeting. So pay attention to the early warning signs.

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

December 24, 2019/by Abraham Njenga

Human Wildlife Conflicts, Mammals, Rangers Diary

Identification of Predators Responsible for Kills

As a wildlife officer, one of the skills I have realised one has to have in his fingertips is the identification of predators responsible for kills be it in the bush “my office” or while responding to Problematic Animal Control (PAC), these skills come in handy when identifying the predator responsible for the kill so as to come up with the ideal solution for the specific animal.

A basic autopsy of the animals killed i.e shoats or cattle can reveal so much; dies the animal have a bite mark on the neck, was it constricted, which parts have been bitten off and how many of them have been killed can be key to identifying the culprit (predator) of which the most common are; Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lions and wild dogs among other small carnivores.

For understanding the impact of predators on prey species, it is obviously necessary to know about their feeding: what prey species are they killing? What proportion of them do they take? What age, sex, and condition are these prey? And how do they compare in number and age–sex distribution with the live prey population?

It must be remembered that most predators are extremely flexible in what they eat. Their diet certainly varies from place to place, depending partly, of course, on what prey species are present in different areas. For the same reason, the diet may vary with season as the prey species present change. Even if the numbers of different prey species in an area do not alter, there may be differences·in their catchability, due behaviour of the prey.

It is extremely difficult to say what proportion of prey animals are truly “available” to the predators. And there are certainly differences between individual predators in the prey animals they take.

Kills can be examined by waiting until the predator has finished feeding, or if this is impossible (e.g. because of lack of time, or because a small prey animal is likely to be totally consumed) by temporarily driving it from its kill. Predators can usually be made to withdraw by driving slowly towards them and separating them from their kill which can then be observed from close range. Although most predators will flee from a human on foot, this method disturbs them considerably, and they may not then return to their kill.

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

August 21, 2019/by Abraham Njenga

CANNIBAL LION

Cannibalism in Lions is often displayed when a male lion takes over dormancy and territory of a rival pride, often kills any existing cubs fathered by other males; which brings the lionesses into heat more quickly, enabling the invading to sire his own young.

But my encounter with Sior a lioness of the Schora pride at the Ol Pejeta conservancy feeding on the carcass of a freshly killed lioness by her pride at night made me draw a sharp breath of shock.

https://youtu.be/doeEzraLnWA

I have always known lions as scavengers which happily steal food from other animals, or eat leftovers after a kill, often seen them bullying other predators into giving up their meals. but as you can see in the clip above Sior nibbles away the remains menacingly.

According to Wikipedia Cannibalism involves consuming all or part of another individual of the same species as food. To consume the same species, or show cannibalistic behaviour, is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom, and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species so it shouldn’t be such a dillema, here’s the real catch I have witnessed lions killing hyenas but never have I seen the lion eating the hyena, wild me in lets keep the conversation flowing

In your opinion, Why do you think Sior fed on the dead lioness?

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

April 3, 2019/5 Comments/by Abraham Njenga

Common Herbivore Tracks and Signs – Rhinos

Tracks and signs are all around you, even in the city. Ideal examples are birds that normally leave feces on windows, raptors that swift off the chicken from our backyards which was quite typical for us who grew up in a rural setup or forested area you definitely know not to leave your windows open, the cheeky primates are always on the lookout for an opportunistic feed.

Next time you go for a walk (obviously am not talking about pavements or tarmac) try learning as much as you can from what others have left behind, you will be surprised how much you can learn from foot tracks;

How many people walked the track before you and which direction were they walking towards.
Were they walking or running? Is there a scope on the front tip of the shoe track to indicate they were running
Are the tracks fresh? you can even tell the type of shoe from this example rubbers, boots or sports shoes

However, it is on farms and in conservation and wilderness areas that you will discover the joys and uses of reading signs. There’s so much to read on the ground, all that took place at night is written down on the ground; a hunt, a fight, or even where the animal took a nap. Man-made gravel and sand roads are the best for reading signs especially for an area with less traffic, on one of my previous articles https://iamjusticeforwildlife.org/2018/12/09/common-carnivore-tracks-and-sctats-identification/ I gave detailed clues on how to read and identify various common carnivore tracks due to public demand I will take you through how to read and identify Rhino tracks and signs next time you’re on a game drive or doing a bushwalk in a rhino sanctuary be on the lookout for this interesting signs and clues.

Black Rhino

-The tracks of the hook-lipped rhinoceros are very similar to those of the square-lipped rhinoceros but are shorter.

-This is one rare rhinoceros to come across, an endangered species to be precise with only 15 metapopulations in Kenya.

Black Rhino tracks

-Tracks are similar to those of white rhino but are shorter

-Indentation of the posterior edge is not usually well pronounced

Black rhino dung

The black rhino is a browser, and its dung consists of coarse, woody plant material mixed with finer material.

White Rhino

– From their sheer size, the tracks are also larger than those of the black rhino

– Both Rhinoceros species have three horny- nailed toes, the largest in front and a slightly smaller one on either side.

– The front foot track is wider and a bit more rounded than the hind track and maybe a little longer.

Tracks

-Have three horny- nailed toes.

-Front foot track is wider and more rounded than the hind track.

-Indentation on posterior edge is usually more pronounced.

-The white rhino is a grazer, and so the content of its dung is fairly uniform in appearance with relatively fine plant fibres.

-They normally use their hind legs to spread it around (to mark its territory)

– Unlike the black Rhino which spreads its dung with it’s hind legs to spread it the white Rhino does not

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

December 20, 2018/by Abraham Njenga

Common Carnivore Tracks and Scat identification

Field identification of wildlife tracks and Scats is a rangers speciality, over time one gets acquainted and familiarized with the various animal tracks, this is one unique skill that is quite handy to every ranger because being aware of your surrounding is optimal for survival.

By interpreting tracks and signs in an area, you can piece together a record of recent visitors and events. For instance, if you come across a recent kill site there is so much information on the ground; approach tracks of a predator, jumping sprints, deep tracks left by the antelope in its bid to escape, blood spots on the sand, a drag mark leading to the bushes for concealment.

Fresh Lion tracks

It would be easy to walk straight past the scene, but a careful observer could easily piece together a vivid picture that is as fascinating as witnessing the kill itself, the stories read on the ground are sometimes amusing or dramatic and add greatly to your understanding of the animals’ behaviour of the particular area

I have taken visitors on bush walks in the various conservancies and parks that I have worked in and it’s quite fascinating how astonished they get on realizing how easily we read the footprints on the ground and tell which animals we are on their tracks, categorizing the various scats we come across, and how various animals differ in browse selection and preference of plant species. But that’s a story for another day.

I would like to walk you through how to identify common Carnivore Tracks and Scats, a breakdown that is simple to be comprehended by anyone from an ecologist, hiker, outdoors fan,wildlife/ natural resource student, conservationist, safari guide and if you live close to any conservation area then be very keen to understand how to tell which carnivore visits you farm at night to prey on your livestock in the event you need to fill up a compensation form.

One of the best pointers to tell apart a Lion and leopard track from a hyena and cheetah track other than size and location found is that Lions and leopards have retractile claws “the claws only come out when hunting” unlike for the hyenas and cheetas that are always out.

AFRICAN LION

Lion Spoor

The hind tracks are narrow than front tracks.
Each foot has a single large pad with two indentations on posterior edge.
No claw marks show in tracks–Front paw: Total length 110-130mmTotal width 90-125mm-Hind paw: Total length 105-125mmTotal width 80-115mmLion Scat

The average diameter of the droppings is usually greater than 40 mm

-May resemble those of spotted hyena though scattered at random and with great variation

-Droppings comprising mainly digested blood and flesh retain their dark colour but those containing a lot of calcium will whiten as they dry.

Spotted Hyena

Hyena Spoor

-Claws are blunt and show on tracks

-The front feet are larger than hind feet

-Main pad is large and its posterior edge

angled.

Front paw: Total length 90-105mm

Total width 90-105mm

Hind paw: Total length 80-95mm

Total width 75-85mm

Hyena Scat

Dropping are greenish when fresh and turns whitish when they dry this is because of considerable quantities of bones fragments that they consume

Jackal

Black-backed Jackal Spoor

-The front foot has a large triangular main pad.

-The two middle toes extend well beyond the outer toes.

-In the hind foot, the main pad is smaller than that of the front foot but the two middle toes also extend forward.

Black-backed Jackal Scat

– Produce sausage shaped droppings
-Droppings are greenish but turns white after several days.

LEOPARD

Leopard Spoor

-The hind track is elongated than the front

-Each foot has a single large pad with two indentations on posterior edge.

– Front paw: Total length 70-90mm.

Total width 70-90mm.

-Hind paw: Total length 80-100mm

Total width 60-80mm

Leopard Scat

-The average diameter of the droppings ranges from 20 to 30 mm.

-They are usually large but never as large as the droppings produced by an adult lion.

-May contain large quantities of hair.

Cheetah

Cheetah Spoor

Show claw marks on track

-Single large pad with a double indentation in the posterior edge

-Tracks are more elongated than those of lion

-Front paw: Total length 70-85mm

Total width 65-75mm

-Hind paw: Total length 75-90mm

Cheetah Scat

-Produce sausage shaped droppings.
-May deposit loose accumulations at lying-up spots near large kills.

AFRICAN WILD DOG

Wild dog Spoor

-Claws are blunt & thick & show on tracks

-Main pad is roughly triangular and

-posterior edge is straight

-Each foot leaves fours toe imprints.

-Front paw: Total length 76-80mm

Total width 56-65mm

-Hind paw Total length 68-82mm

Total width 48-55mm

African Wild dog Scat

-Generally, scatter their droppings throughout their home ranges.

-Droppings can accumulate at dens sites with pups.

BAT-EARED FOX

-The tracks of the fox are much smaller than those of jackal

-The claws may extend up to 18 mm beyond the toe pads and hind track is narrower than front track.

-The claws of the middle two-toes of the front foot are close together in the tracks

-The average diameter of the droppings is 18 mm.

-Droppings consist of chiefly of insects fragment but may contain large quantities of seeds and fruit skins.

To learn more about tracking you can write to us for any specific animal that you would like to learn about info.iamjusticeforwildlife.org or alternatively you can purchase a field guide book by Chris & Mathilde Stuart which is quite handy in learning basic tracking skills.

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.

December 9, 2018/44 Comments/by Abraham Njenga

Habitat, Mammals, Rangers Diary

Carcass identification and ageing skills

Rangers come across carcasses in the wild on almost a daily basis. Be it a predator kill, natural death, poaching among many other causes during their daily patrols. But not just rangers, ecologists, researchers and my targeted persons Tour Guides do as well, it is of critical importance to report any mortality sighting to the authority of the conservation area, be it a Park, Reserve or private conservation area. You might help detect a disease outbreak, typically if its a predator kill there will be clues if not the predator then scavengers: hyenas, jackals or vultures circulating the site from above or already on the ground.

Back to my guides who provide vital opportunistic sightings of mortalities its always of much help if you can roughly estimate the period that the animal is presumed to have been dead for, now this is why I have decided to take time and come up with a few leads that can help give a rough estimate of the carcass decomposition stages, from a fresh carcass to a very old one.

If you’re in the field of mammalian research be it carnivores or the herbivores you will definitely find this article quite handy.

1 Day old Elephant Carcass

Determining sex of dead elephant

Patrol teams can determine the sex of a dead elephant by examining the animal’s body, tusks, and/ or skull as follows

Fresh body.

– If you have a complete fresh body, you may be able to determine sex from body shape.

Male; shoulder height above rump and this sloped shape becomes more prominent with age.

Female; Shoulder and rump remains same height but back elongates and shows saddle back, becomes more prominent.

Fresh Elephant carcass description (0-3 weeks)

-Complete carcass present.

-Evidence of scavenger activity (droppings of scavengers, e.g. Vultures, hyenas, etc.)

-Round swollen body with decomposition fluids flowing from the carcass.

-The possible presence of maggots.

-Wet intestines within the body or around it.

-Wet skin and visible rot patches.

-A strong smell from the decomposing carcass.

-If tusks are present, they will be firmly secured in the skull, if removed the hack marks are fresh.

Fresh Carcass

Carcass Description

-Pool of blood in the carcass.

-Meat still intact in the bones.

-Presence of a predator preying on the carcass.

12 Hour Old Carcass

Carcass Description

-Pool of blood around the carcass.

-Flesh beneath skin giving rounded appearance.

– Some internal organs remaining, very minimal damage to bones

1-week Old Carcass

Carcass Description

– This is a recent kill, with blood still present in the bone.

– Less meat and skin on bones.

-No blood or fluid seen.

– Rot patch dry around carcass.

4 – Month Old Carcass

Carcass Description

-Flesh has been totally cleaned and it is turning greyish.

-Less meat on the bones.

-Bare ground around carcass

– Body not rounded or swollen, shrunken.

– No strong smell from the carcass.

– Some bones may still be attached to the skin but easily detachable.

6- Month Old Carcass

– Change of color i.e. whitish-greyish

– Less meat and skin on bones.

– No blood or fluid seen.

– Some bones may be joined to tissues.

– Absence of vegetation within the death spot.

– Death spot dry, absence of body fluids and stomach contents present.

-No fresh or recent signs of scavengers.

-Dry, desiccated skin.

1 Year Old Carcass

Carcass Description

-Bones are ‘White and growing’ in sunlight

-Vegetation has regrown around the carcass.

-No signs of body tissues.

– Bones may be scattered away from original death spot.

– Very little tissue noticeable attached to the bones.

– There may be little movement of bones from the original death spot due to scavengers.

Description of very old Carcass (More than 1 year)

– Bones are becoming increasingly grey in colour.

– Bones are cracking and crumbling.

– Bones usually scattered further away from the original point of death.

– Grey and cracked bones

Difficulties in Assigning Carcass Age stages

Old vs. Very Old

– The onset of colouration is dependent on environmental and climatic factors.

– May be difficult to distinguish white from grey bones in certain habitats.

Recent vs. Old

– Rot patch development depending on the size of the animal, the physical conditions of the death spot (rocky conditions, river bed, swamp etc) human and other wildlife interference.

– The lack of any tissue on the bones should indicate’old’ where there are problems in determining the status of a rot patch.

– Using external characteristics such as external genitalia. Soft external genitalia are, however, the first body part consumed by mammalian scavengers thus these may disappear or be modified very quickly after death.

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive. In this century he has to realize that in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau Here we celebrate the unsung wildlife heroes in the grassroots doing remarkable work to conserve our wildlife heritage, Get to learn about wildlife from a ranger/ ecologist in Kenya a freelance eco-traveler, experience the diverse cultures and African heritage from the natives and take an adventure to new destinations to learn about rare attractions that are hardly talked about and to top it all up some of the best wildlife photographs that will make you reconnect to your wild side appreciate everything around us and fall in love with the natural world, because “It is not enough to love the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” Edward Abbey

Our wildlife, our responsibility. When it comes to standing up for our wildlife it’s better to be outspoken than unspoken.