Back in the K.E.N.Y.A.
Hello, everyone!
I have returned to Kenya. My days consist of following zebras around and writing down everything they do.
I currently write from the research office of the Sweetwaters Game Reserve - one of the two properties (the other being Ol Pejeta Ranch) which are soon to be combined into the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. I am here with Elise, another Princeton student, and Justine, Dan's assistant at Sweetwaters. She monitors the zebras for him year-round, and has for about three years, which means that when we drive past a herd of hundreds of seemingly identical zebras, she can call out, in her delightful Kenyan/British accent, “Oh, there's stallion 01560 and his harem! They lost a foal the other week.” She recognizes hundreds of zebras on the game reserve, and a fair number on the ranch as well.
There are many adventures to report - our 12-hour escapade in Dubai, or various vehicle mishaps, or interesting animal behaviour (I could relate hours upon hours of Very Interesting zebra behaviour, but I'm not sure you want to hear it!). All that, though, must be saved for a later date - we've been madly busy trying to sort out a good schedule for observation, and so far the days have been going from 6am-6pm, at which point I basically eat dinner, possibly shower, and then do a few little things before collapsing into bed. The office is a short drive from the research center - a five minute walk in the daylight, but it must be driven in the night, so that we don't get eaten by lions or trampled by elephants. (Highly unlikely, but possible. Thus, we drive). A short drive... But the last thing you want to do when you're tired. We can't really use it during the day because the research staff are in there, besides which we've been very busy.
As soon as I get some time/energy/coffee, though, I promise to write up some of the adventures that have happened. I'm doing very well, very happy, feeling exhausted with a healthy exhaustion at the end of the day. It's not the stressed out, caffeine-extended exhaustion of a day at Princeton... It's the comfortable, healthy exhaustion of a long day out in the sun and wind. We're going to Mpala for a week on the 11th so that I can get some control data on the Grevy's zebras there, so we'll see the rest of the Princeton gang as well as the other researchers there, and Elise will get to see some different countryside. Very exciting!
Before I know it, I'm sure I'll be back at home. The days are already flying past - who would have thought that looking at zebras for 6 hours straight (as we did today) could be so entertaining?
Love to you all,
Jenn
I have returned to Kenya. My days consist of following zebras around and writing down everything they do.
I currently write from the research office of the Sweetwaters Game Reserve - one of the two properties (the other being Ol Pejeta Ranch) which are soon to be combined into the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. I am here with Elise, another Princeton student, and Justine, Dan's assistant at Sweetwaters. She monitors the zebras for him year-round, and has for about three years, which means that when we drive past a herd of hundreds of seemingly identical zebras, she can call out, in her delightful Kenyan/British accent, “Oh, there's stallion 01560 and his harem! They lost a foal the other week.” She recognizes hundreds of zebras on the game reserve, and a fair number on the ranch as well.
There are many adventures to report - our 12-hour escapade in Dubai, or various vehicle mishaps, or interesting animal behaviour (I could relate hours upon hours of Very Interesting zebra behaviour, but I'm not sure you want to hear it!). All that, though, must be saved for a later date - we've been madly busy trying to sort out a good schedule for observation, and so far the days have been going from 6am-6pm, at which point I basically eat dinner, possibly shower, and then do a few little things before collapsing into bed. The office is a short drive from the research center - a five minute walk in the daylight, but it must be driven in the night, so that we don't get eaten by lions or trampled by elephants. (Highly unlikely, but possible. Thus, we drive). A short drive... But the last thing you want to do when you're tired. We can't really use it during the day because the research staff are in there, besides which we've been very busy.
As soon as I get some time/energy/coffee, though, I promise to write up some of the adventures that have happened. I'm doing very well, very happy, feeling exhausted with a healthy exhaustion at the end of the day. It's not the stressed out, caffeine-extended exhaustion of a day at Princeton... It's the comfortable, healthy exhaustion of a long day out in the sun and wind. We're going to Mpala for a week on the 11th so that I can get some control data on the Grevy's zebras there, so we'll see the rest of the Princeton gang as well as the other researchers there, and Elise will get to see some different countryside. Very exciting!
Before I know it, I'm sure I'll be back at home. The days are already flying past - who would have thought that looking at zebras for 6 hours straight (as we did today) could be so entertaining?
Love to you all,
Jenn
posted by Jenn at
8:49 PM
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