Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit

Category: Dogs, Wildlife | Date: Mar 31 2007 | By: admin

The only way we can control the outbreak of Canine Distemper in domestic dogs and to avoid the spread of disease to wild carnivores is through ring vaccination. Ring vaccination is vaccination of healthy animal population surrounding the already existing outbreak so that we stop the spread of the disease. In our case, the ring vaccination involves domestic dogs surrounding the reserve, working our way towards the outbreak in Lolgorian and Kilgoris area., up to 60 km away from the reserve. I would approximate the dog population in the immediate surrounding of the reserve to be somewhere around 1,000 dogs. Anything less than this would probably do not make impact to the outbreak since the dog population up to the affected area is somewhere between 3,000-5,000.

It is not an impossible task, but it is very expensive operation and involves lot of work. Since we don’t have high titre Canine Distemper vaccine (which only takes one vaccination) here in Kenya, we need to re-vaccinate the dogs after a month. Due to long distance and inaccessibility to some area, I decided to relocate to Mara by mid May. I will be stationed in the middle of the Maasai land and I will not have access to fridge which is the only way to store vaccines (I cannot use the lodge fridge because it would be too far away from the area of vaccination). I would require a solar operating fridge system which can be connected to existing solar panel at where I will be staying. It would take me one months to vaccinate 1,000 dogs due to vastness of coverage area (from Oloololo gate to Tanzania border of the escarpment). The operation would be in two phases and I require vehicle maintenance and fuel fee, as well as community liaison/assistant fee for two months. The cost breakdown of the ring vaccination of 1,000 dogs surrounding the reserve is as follows:

Phase I (First Ring Vaccination)
Canine Distemper Vaccine, Syringe, Needle (USD 4)—USD 4,000
Vehicle Fuel & Maintenance (1month)—USD 1,500
Community Liaison/Assistant (1month) —USD 90
Solar Fridge & Battery—USD 2,060

Phase II (Second Ring Vaccination)
Canine Distemper Vaccine, Syringe, Needle (USD 4)—USD 4,000
Vehicle Fuel & Maintenance (1month)—USD 1,500
Community Liaison/Assistant (1month) —USD 90

If I can get sponsor or someone to fund raise to cover the operational cost, I will approach the lodges to inquire whether they would be willing to sponsor the veterinary service cost for the operation. Please help us so we can avoid the tragedy which happened in the Serengeti. From tomorrow to Tuesday, I will not have any internet connection so I will check on comments Wednesday.

6 responses so far

Category: Dogs | Date: Mar 31 2007 | By: admin

I just came back from Mara yesterday and received an email from Samantha of Wildlifedirect regarding people’s concern regarding Canine Distemper outbreak. I read all the comments and I am so glad that readers of my blog are willing to help. The disease is highly fatal diseases of canine species and clinical signs include: yellow tanecious nasal and ocular discharge (gooey discharge), fever, loss of appetite, pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, callus formation of nose and foot pad, neurological signs (incoordination, seizures) and death. The transmission is through aerosol (coughing) and contact of all body fluids, so basically the disease can be transmitted by physical contact. Since it is a viral disease, the only treatment is intensive supportive care in which is impossible in the Mara because there is no proper treatment facility.

This website describes the disease in further details.

The outbreak of Canine Distemper in the domestic dogs around the park is not only the concern for the dog’s welfare, but it is a concern of wildlife health. There has been an outbreak of Canine Distemper in domestic dogs surrounding Serengeti National Park in Tanzania in early 1994, which ended up wiping out estimated population of 1,000 lions.

A canine distemper virus epidemic in Serengeti lions (Panthera leo)

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is thought to have caused several fatal epidemics in canids within the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem of East Africa, affecting silver-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) and bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis) in 1978 (ref. 1), and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in 1991 (refs 2, 3). The large, closely monitored Serengeti lion population was not affected in these epidemics. However, an epidemic caused by a morbillivirus closely related to CDV emerged abruptly in the lion population of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, in early 1994, resulting in fatal neurological disease characterized by grand mal seizures and myoclonus; the lions that died had encephalitis and pneumonia. Here we report the identification of CDV from these lions, and the close phylogenetic relationship between CDV isolates from lions and domestic dogs. By August 1994, 85% of the Serengeti lion population had anti-CDV antibodies, and the epidemic spread north to lions in the Maasai Mara National reserve, Kenya, and uncounted hyaenas, bat-eared foxes, and leopards were also affected.

Roelke-Parker ME, Munson L, Packer C, Kock R, Cleaveland S, Carpenter M, O’Brien SJ, Pospischil A, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lutz H, et al.
Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute, Tanzania National Parks, Arusha, Tanzania.

This site shows the video of the Serengeti lion affected by Canine Distemper. The video clip shows the neurological stage of the disease (seizure) up to its death and it is bit disturbing to watch but it gives an idea of how dogs die from the disease as well.

There is another article written by the veterinarian who has done a ring vaccination of domestic dogs surrounding Serengeti to control the disease outbreak in lions.

Currently, the outbreak is happening approximately 35km away from the escarpment (boundary of wildlife protective area), but it is slowly spreading towards the reserve. Maasai owners have opted out to letting their dogs die out, until the outbreak ceases because they cannot afford to pay for the vaccine. If the disease spread to dog population bordering the reserve, it is most likely that lions and cheetahs in the park, as well as other canids such as jackal will be exposed to Canine Distemper. I will discuss the control for the disease and ring vaccination in detail in my next post.

No responses yet

Category: Life of a Vet | Date: Mar 29 2007 | By: admin

The road in Mara has been horrendous this time around. During this trip, I broke my car break, shock absorbers and silencer. Then before reaching my house in Nairobi , I destroyed two wheels. One wheel had all the wires sticking out from the rubber and it was condemned off the road by my mechanic. Other one exploded when I was driving. I heard a big bang! from the rear side of the car, then my wheel was dead.

I was lucky that I did not get an accident when this wheel exploded.

What happens to a wheel after one year of Mara driving.

Now, I replaced my wheels to all terrain wheels. The rain is still continuing in the Mara and without proper wheel I will not be able to go back to Mara next week. The cost of four wheels totaled USD800. Together with USD200 for shock absorbers, total cost of car repair for this trip was painful USD1,000…

No responses yet

Category: Dogs | Date: Mar 27 2007 | By: admin

Today I was driving back to Nairobi . When I was driving pass Lolgorian town, one guy came running from nearby boma. He was shouting and trying to stop my car. My friend on the navigator seat tells me that the man is calling my name. I stop and listens to what the man has to say. ‘My dogs are dying, all of them!’, the man says. Early last year, there was an outbreak of canine distemper in the area between Lolgorian and Olmotoni. Now, it seems like the outbreak is back. The man tells me that his dogs showed thick yellow discharge from the nostril and eyes. It is definitely a a case of canine distemper. I told him that I can bring the vaccine from Nairobi when I come back in a week, but the man almost jumped when he heard the cost of vaccine. I give out the vaccine with cost price, without charging veterinary service fee. Yet, the cost price of the vaccine was not something that the man wanted to spend on his dogs. ‘Mbua siyo ng’ombe’ (dog is not cattle), he says. He went around the boma to talk to people, but no one is willing to vaccinate their dogs against canine distemper. They all claim that they cannot spend such money on dogs. There is very little I can do if the owners are not willing to vaccinate the dogs…

14 responses so far

Category: Livestock | Date: Mar 25 2007 | By: admin

‘Uko na dawa neupe?’ (Do you have a white drug?). Penicillin in the form of Penstrep (penicillin and streptomycine) is commonly referred to as ‘white drug’ here in the Maasai land. It is antibiotic but most people use it for completely different purpose. People believe that it is an aphrodisiac due to physical appearance of the drug. Well, solution is white and viscous. They say it looks like semen. People inject penstrep just before bull is about to mount a cow. Yes, it is white viscous solution, but that has nothing to do with libido what so ever. ‘Please don’t inject penstrep to a bull before mating!!!’, I once again exclaim.

2 responses so far

Category: Livestock | Date: Mar 24 2007 | By: admin

Maasai are serious believer of veterinary drugs. They are very much into tetracycline and truly believe that Adamycine and Teramycine are solution to everything. If the cattle are coughing, adamycine must be the answer. If the cattle are not eating well, adamycine would take care of the appetite problem. If the cattle are limping a little, adamycine would definitely stop the limping. Yes, in the Maasai land, adamycine is the answer to everything. People here inject adamycine to cattle as if animal is suffering from tetracycline deficiency… My vet friends call this syndrome ‘adamosis’ or ‘teramosis’. This belief is the major contributing factor to development of tetracycline resistance in this area. ‘Please do not inject adamycine just because the cattle is limping!’, I exclaim. Then I spend the next one hour trying to explain why adamycine no longer working like it used to do in the past.

No responses yet

Category: Wildlife | Date: Mar 24 2007 | By: admin

Let me post some photos of Maasai land and wildlife protected area (wildlife reserve).

Photo of the wildlife reserve taken from the top of the escarpment (reserve boundary).

Inside the wildlife reserve.

Maasai land, outside the wildlife reserve.

Oloololo escarpment separating the wildlife reserve and Maasai land.

One response so far

Category: Wildlife | Date: Mar 21 2007 | By: admin

My last post regarding Maasai cattle sentiment disturbed some people and I found it would be fair if I clarify my point in more details.　　The point I wanted to make was importance of livestock compensation in order to reduce the incident of human wildlife conflict. The case of 3 lions was an unfortunate incident and caused unnecessary loss of wildlife since the owner could have reported to Mara Conservancy for compensation.

As I mentioned in my last post, Maasai sentiment towards cattle is the reason why people revenge when the livestock is killed by large carnivore. But we should not forget that it is this same cattle sentiment that is keeping the savannah ecosystem and wildlife alive in the area adjacent to the reserve, thus allowing wildlife to move freely between the reserve boundaries. Livestock, cattle in particular, has much more than an economical value to Maasai and most people find it difficult to change their lifestyle completely. If the land adjacent to Mara was owned by non-Maasai, especially by an agricultural tribe, the wildlife in this area would have been exterminated long time ago and all the land would be fenced off. A good example of this is the area surrounding Mount Kenya National Park, in the heart of Kikuyu land. The wildlife in this park is confined within electric fence and no wild animals are found outside of the park. People do not tolerate elephants destroying their crops nor large carnivores wondering into nearby villages. They are scared of wildlife and would report to authority when such case happens (problem animal is either translocated or shot dead).

This is not the case here in the Mara. Traditional Maasai pastoral system allows wildlife to coexist with livestock because it doesn’t involve fencing of the land and the fact that people do not mind living close to wild animals. Maasai are surprisingly tolerant of wildlife. Women wait until the elephant crosses the river so they can wash their cloths. Men do not mind walking pass the lion on the road. Children walk across the savannah full of zebra and giraffe when they are going to school. That is their daily lifestyle. Unfortunately, all these attitude change when something threatens their livestock. If you ask a Maasai what cattle means to them, they would tell you it is ‘maisha yetu’ (our life). Thus, Maasai would fight against lion or even Kuria tribe with guns (cattle thief), if it ever threatens their cattle.

This map shows Trans Mara district. The pink area is the Mara Triangle, the wildlife protected area (510 sq km) Blue area is Koiyaki-Lemek wildlife protected area on the Narok district side and yellow area is commercial wheat farms (Purko Maasai leasing their land). Then red line shows the reserve boundary, the escarpment. No fence is built around the reserve. Finally, the purple area shows the part of Siria Maasai land where you can find significant number of wild herbivores and carnivores. This area, of course is outside the reserve, in someone’s property. Good number of lions and leopards are found in the area of Olukurruk, Olerian, Kiringani, Kawai, Kimintet and Kirindoni. These are prime residential area for the Maasai, with primary schools and churches. Thick forests are scattered in the area between Kimintet and Kirindoni. This is an important feeding and breeding grounds for elephants.

This map shows the land use pattern for the same area. You can see that beige colored savannah ecosystem extends from the reserve into the Maasai land. During the dry season, herbivores move up the escarpment and graze in Maasai land and large carnivores follow the prey. The forest area (dark green area) within wildlife reserve is limited to riverine area and elephants migrate up the escarpment every night to feed. Large elephant population is found in the forest located just passed Lolgorian town, 32km away from the escarpment. If these lands become unavailable for wildlife for any reason, I truly doubt that reserve’s carrying capacity can support all the wildlife in this area. On this map, the agricultural land (light green area) on the bottom is owned by Kuria tribe (95% of wildlife poachers in Mara are of Kuria origin) and top is owned by Kalenjin and Kisii tribes. Now, we got local farmer and charcoal business encroaching from two sides of the Maasai land and commercial wheat farmers encroaching Koiyaki area on Narok side. Both are good business since you just have to lease out the land, but most Siria Maasai will not agree to lease out their land. Why? Because the same grazing ground that is supporting the wildlife outside the reserve is important grazing ground for the Maasai cattle. They cannot lease out the land because it means limited pasture for their animals. This is why I mentioned in the beginning that Maasai cattle sentiment is protecting the savannah ecosystem. The day Maasai change their attitude towards cattle is the day all wildlife habitat outside the reserve disappears. Then wildlife population living in the area as vast as reserve itself would have no place to go. I believe that Maasai are the protector of the savannah thus in turn protector of wildlife.

6 responses so far

Category: Livestock | Date: Mar 20 2007 | By: admin

It is really great that the Mara Conservancy is paying compensation for livestock killed by wild carnivores. Loss of cattle to a Maasai is not just an economical loss, but cattle have great sentimental value to Maasai people.

Let me first talk about the economic loss. Say, leopard killed a goat. Price depends on size and sex, but one goat can range from Ksh 1,000- 2,500 (USD 15-37). This is in a country where average income is Ksh 4,000 (USD 60), so the loss is quite significant. The price of a cattle also depends on size and sex, but it is on higher side. One cattle can range from Ksh 10,000 – 30,000 (USD 150 - 450). This is the price for the endemic Zebu cattle. Other breed such as Sahiwal (dual milk-meat breed) is much more expensive, where one bull costs up to Ksh 70,000 (USD 1,030) and most Maasai buy the Sahiwal from Laikipia region (adding transport cost). Cattle is an asset in this community.

How about the sentimental value of cattle? It is hard for us Westerners to fully understand the Maasai sentiment towards their cattle. Maybe comparing cattle to another commodity might allow us to understand better. The closest thing which I can compare a bull is to a luxury automobile, something like Ferrari. Maasai men are very proud of their prized bulls. When one buys a bull, especially big Sahiwal bull, he can even stop you on the road and asks you to come take a look at his new bull. He would walk around his bull and explains to you that his bull got a nice horn shape, good configuration, how heavy it is and how much he spent purchasing this bull. He meticulously dips/sprays his prized bull, deworms it, at all cost. Man may not willingly give food allowance to their family (much to wives’ complaints), but he would not have second thought when he buys drugs for his bull. In the morning, a man spends time staring at his bull before it goes out to herding, appreciating every aspect of his amazing bull. Simply staring at his prized bull brings joy in man’s heart. He feels like showing off his bull to the entire community, even to a muzungu (white) vet. When man’s prized bull gets killed by wild carnivore, Maasai feeling of devastation and anger is equivalent to that of having a new Ferrari smashed when you night parked in the city.

Magnificent Boran bulls.

5 responses so far

Category: Livestock | Date: Mar 19 2007 | By: admin

Ranger Tobiko getting ready to catch the bull

Excellent catch by Tobiko

Castration begins

No responses yet