“Normal is overrated!”, exclaims Dr. Mukami Ruoro-Oundo when asked how a normal work week looks for a wildlife veterinarian at Kenya Wildlife Services.
She and her colleagues are called out daily to solve a wide variety of tasks, many of which involve mitigating human-wildlife conflicts when wildlife and humans cross paths.
Photo credit: Liz Muthoni
“It could be a lion that strayed from the park and now is within the community land and is unable to get back to the park. Then we come in and immobilize the animal and take it back to the park to release it,” Dr. Mukami Ruoro-Oundo explains.
“A few months ago, we had a lot of rain, and crocodiles would follow the flooded waters and find themselves in people's ponds, swimming pools, and flooded unfinished housing. So we had a lot of calls about that and would go in, pick the crocodile, and bring it back into the park to release it.”
Going up trees to dart monkeys
In Nairobi, where KWS has its headquarters, there is a lot of forestry and greenery, which allows for a population of “urban wildlife”.
Photo credit: Ashif Yusuf
“Often, I’m called out for primates. Sometimes people will hurt these animals so a lot of the calls we get are about injured monkeys - a broken leg, a snare around the waist or something like that. These are some of the difficult cases to handle since primates, of course, tend to go up trees. So if we can’t use cages, which will take longer, we have to dart then, which requires us to go up the tree or aim from a higher point. And then we have a team ready with a wide net to catch the animal when it falls.”
The animals are then taken back to headquarters for treatment and surgery, where they are treated and fed until they are ready to be released again.
“Sometimes we release them where they were because that's their home ground, and sometimes we find a better place where they'll have less conflict with people.”
Animal translocation is an integral part of KWS’s work, and sometimes, it requires quite a bit more than moving a small monkey.
For example, last year, Mukami and her colleagues assisted in the translocation of Tino, the elephant:
Uses remote injection equipment daily
The nature of Dr. Mukami Ruoro-Oundos's work makes her remote injection rifle a very important tool.
“I use it almost every day. I have a DANiNJECT IM model. I really love it. Most of my colleagues have the JM model, which they like, but I really like the wooden version and the long barrel, so that's the one I usually use. We also use the jabstick a lot in our captive facilities, since it is easier to use there, especially if we are administering drugs.”
“The effectiveness of my work is highly dependent on my rifle. It's been trustworthy, and I've used it without fail. So, if I'm to go somewhere where they need my help and I don't have my DANiNJECT with me, the first question I would ask is, ‘What kind of equipment do you have? Do you have a DANiNJECT?’ Because that's the equipment I know and trust will help me get the job done.”
Photo credit: Ami Vitale
Aggressive on the outside, small on the inside
Dr. Mukami Rouro-Oundo treats a wide range of animals but still has a soft spot for a few of them:
“I really love lions, I think they're so majestic. The other animal I really love working with is the black rhino. It’s the most aggressive, but I really enjoy working with them. They are very unique in every way, whether it's the anaesthesia or just the way we have to handle them."
"They are endangered, first of all, so we only immobilize one if it is quite necessary. They're just very aggressive and could injure someone if they wake up from anaesthesia."
"So, it’s challenging, but it's also very fulfilling once we're done with the job and everything has gone well. Also, I've seen their gentle nature despite the fact that they can be very aggressive. They are really big, but I feel like they're still small on the inside.”
Photo credit: Klein Netto
Photo credit: Liz Muthoni
