Runnin from Lions’s Weblog

So I know I’m really behind on this blog and for that I apologize.

First off, I’ll be catching up whenever I can, but to explain why I am so behind let me go into the basics of DR.

First off DR stands for directed research.  There were 3 projects, determining habitat quality for large mammals, determining the importance of incentives in conservation and mapping animal migration corridors through a group ranch surrounding a national park.

I chose the third and got it.  17 other people did as well, only 11 were accepted.  Go us!

Its a good group, lots of fun people and we work really well together.

So in a nutshell, I go out with a guide and a KWS guard (read: a man who can use a machine gun against elephants and buffalo lawfully).  Then we go to villages, schools, roads and any place we see wildlife and take a GPS point there.  We are going to map out half of an entire group ranch which is around 700 km sq.  That’s a lot of km sq.  anyways…

Its been really fun, on this DR i have:

met over 100 maasai including incredibly cute children.

Learned basic maasai words like hello (sopa), thank you (ashe oleng), and goodbye (sere).

Chased giraffes for over a kilometer.

Seen many dung beetles of various species.

Stood on top of a pile of dung 3 feet high (its the floor of bomas sometimes).

Eaten many peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

Been surrounded by 88 wildebeest with my driver asleep in the car 300m away.  That was fun.  Wildebeest will not charge humans in groups, but if spooked that can be kinda dangerous.

Seen gerenuk with 20 meters of me (no pictures for this one though).

Fallen in love with carrots.

Gotten a sunburn, ring tan, and magnificent farmers tan.

Finally, I have seen a cheetah, but not while I was on foot.  Still CHEETAH!  we are the only group to have seen a cheetah this semester.  It got on a tree.  so yeah.  CHEETAH.

done.

Have fun.

And yes I can receive emails, so if you have it email me, if not ask for it…

-S

I love you all and will see you soon.

p.s. I’m going to paris from Dec 11 to Dec 17 so that will be fun.  YAY!