Friday, November 12, 2010

Kicking it in Kenya

Sopa! (“what’s up” in Maa, the language of the Maasai)

Gracious, a lot has happened since we arrived in Kenya over two weeks ago. So, if you are interested in reading a short novel, please hop up real quick, pop some popcorn, grab a glass of water, and return your eyes to the screen.

Our camp, as stated a while back, is located in Loitokitok District in Kimana, Kenya. To the north is Amboseli National Park and to the south is Mt. Kilimanjaro. The location is quite exquisite, the camp is very cozy, and the staff is very friendly and always ready to answer a question, help us out, or save us from a fatal slithering snake. Let me catch you up on our activities as camp thus far…

First of all, the short rain season has begun. The rains usually start in Nov and end in Dec, so we get to experience the season at its best. The storms have been exciting to experience so far. The dark clouds roll over Kili, covering the mountain in a gray sheet. Soon after, the thunder and lightening begins. The entire sky lights up as if God is taking a picture of our camp with the largest flash known to man. The roar of the thunder reminds us of the lions we once listened to in the Serengeti; although, it’s like they are right next to our tents rather than several miles away. Like I said before, the stars in the southern hemisphere are incredible; although, the stormy weather might be number one on the list. The rains also have their shortcomings; at least when it comes to being a whimpy American in Kenya. The water availability encourages the snakes, cicadas, and all other creepy crawlers to emerge from their hiding spots. The first night after a hard rainfall, I thought I was going to fall over from the pain bouncing back and forth between my ears. The cicadas (millions of them) come out at night and make the most striking, screeching noises I have ever heard in my life. It was like I was in the middle of a room surrounded by blackboards being painfully written on by crummy chalk pieces (you know that horrible scratch/squeak sound chalk can make?). Listening to these insects is absolutely incredible and dreadful at the same time. I will make sure to record a night when they are out.

The rains have also made it impossible for anyone to use the bathrooms at night. They are the only place lit up after sunset and they attract the crawlies like no other. I walked in there one night, saw a spider the size of my palm, slowly and silently closed the door, let out an inside shriek, and sprinted back to my banda to find a wonderful “peeing place” right outside my banda door. I figure I am at least marking my spot, perhaps, that will keep snakes away from slithering under my bed. I will admit I have become very much okay with bugs. Not only would you be surprised with how okay I am, but you might simply be disgusted with my acceptance. I’ll leave the details for stories back at home. I have truly come to realize that, “if it won’t kill you, then why the hell not?” I have also become a professional outdoor pee-er. I was brought up believing in the goodness and quality of nature as a bathroom (thanks to my father); however, I feel as though my grace and expertise in the act have unquestionably progressed since I left the states. I did try one more time to enter the bathroom after dark to see if I could get lucky with an empty stall. Nope. Saw a grasshopper the length of a pencil and realized that would be the last time I would try to use a toilet at night.

On Nov. 2, a couple days after our Halloween in Kenya celebration that included a piñata, pumpkin carving, and apple bobbing, we went to the Kimana market. Kimana, the town that is, is about a 15 minute drive from camp. It was a lot like the market we went to in Karatu, TZ. There were tons of random things to buy (pots, clothes, tire shoes, spears, the usual stuff) and Maasai mamas were chasing around with jewelry every which way we turned. Going to any market in Africa is an experience. It’s essential to know the phrases I have no money (sena pesa), no thank you (hapana assante), I am a student (mimi mwanafunzi), and goodbye (kwaheri), otherwise you will be easily taken over by Maasai mamas and young Obama fanatics.

Two days later, on Nov. 4th, we got to go on our fifth safari in Amboseli NP. Amboseli is most definitely the prettiest of all the parks I have been to thus far; that might be because of the rain though. It was so open and so exceedingly green. Amboseli is known for it’s elephants and is also one of the not so many biospheres in Africa. We were lucky enough to see a cheetah at the very beginning of our drive and then later we watched two male elephants fight. The smaller of the two was very aggressive and started charging one of our land cruisers. The driver slammed on the accelerator and drove as fast as he could from the elephant. It was very exciting, but also extremely scary to watch. No one was hurt and we were happy we got to witness such a dramatic event up close. The drive back to camp happened during the sunset. The colors were astonishing and it was one of the best sunsets I have experienced while being in Africa.

Throughout these past couple weeks, we have also gone on a couple field lectures and conducted a conducted a couple field exercises. The field lectures have all been on top of hills surrounding specific areas that are essential to the Tsavo-Amboseli ecosystem. For instance, we have learned about the group ranches in the ecosystem and how they operate. Group ranches have been around since the 60s and were basically implemented to decrease human-wildlife conflict as well as land degradation by livestock. They are all inhabited by the Maasai and provide specific wildlife dispersal areas. Another lecture we had on top of the Amboseli rockies was on all the water systems within the ecosystem and how they work and what areas they support. Water, surprisingly enough, is not that scarce in this area; it is just distributed unevenly and so a lot of people are suffering from lack of water. Field lectures are such a delight because we don’t have to sit in the classroom. It does tend to get really hot outside during the day, but I’d rather be outside than in.

Of our three field exercises we have conducted, my favorite one was doing interviews in Emperon, which is a small area within Kimana Group Ranch, about 20 minutes from our camp. Our interviews were based on human-wildlife conflict and its effect on the agriculturalists in the area. We talked to four families, two Maasai and two Kukuyu. All of them said they have a lot of trouble with elephants trampling their crops and zebras grazing their maize. This kind of damage can threaten the survival of a family because most use their farms for their personal food. Can you imagine having to talk about this issue with someone? The worst scenario I can think of is black bears blasting through fences in our neighborhood and this certainly doesn’t leave families to deal with starvation. Human-wildlife conflict is an enormous problem in the Kimana area; especially during the dry season because large mammals need water and they venture towards the agricultural lands to find it. It almost seems like there is no solution to this problem. In short, because the human population in Africa is growing (2.56%), land dispersal/fragmentation is increasing, which is leading to the isolation of wild animal populations, which is increasing land degradation, which is increasing the frequency of conflicts, which is increasing illegal poaching activities, which is decimating populations, etc., etc. There is a devastating domino effect taking place here in Kenya and finding a way to stop it is going to be an obstinate task to accomplish. Kenya has a new constitution for 2011 and the entire population is relying on its proclamations.

This afternoon (Nov. 11th) we got back from our four day expedition in Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo is the second largest NP in Africa at ~40,000 sq km² , following behind Kruger NP in South Africa. At first, we were all semi-upset because we had the mindset that we were not going to see any animals. No rhinos unfortunately, because they are like unicorns! We did see a pack of wild dogs though. All we did was turn a corner in the cruisers and boom, there they were. Wild dogs are an endangered species and are almost as rare to see as a rhino. They also are usually seen in packs of 10, so we got really lucky to see wild dogs in the first place and in such a large pack. Our professors and staff were all really excited about seeing the dogs too. One of them even said, “my heart is melting,” because he was so happy. Throughout our trip, we saw elephants, giraffes, bushbuck, impala, dik dik, buffalo, hartebeest, turtles, snails (with conches as their shells!), and zebras. Tsavo is so incredibly vast and finding animals in the tall brush is tough, but I think we got really lucky for all we got to see. Not to mention, the surrounding hills and beautiful vegetation were also a large part of the experience. Tsavo is extremely lush and has many dimensions to it when it comes to habitats. There are grasslands, woodlands full of acacias, bushlands, mountainous areas, and a complex combination of roads to travel on throughout the park. Cruising around was definitely an adventure.

The nights were a lot easier to deal with in regard to falling asleep at night. Since Tsavo is so big we did not have a lot of animals running through camp at night. Plus, we had two armed guards rather than one, which was comforting. The only issue we had to deal with was the scorpions. Our “mom” Molly has been stung by one before and she was basically paralyzed for a couple days. She said it was the first pain she had ever felt before…aka she scared the hell out of all of us. They were really hard to avoid because they are just around like ants are around. They are obviously not as abundant but they are just very common in the area we were camping. In total I saw about ten or so. Some are as big as your pinky, while others are a little bigger than the size of your thumbnail. Camping in the bush is an experience to remember. I have never felt so completely uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. All of our meals and nights under the stars were very enjoyable.

We are now back at camp preparing for the exams we have on Sunday. Another side note, days blend together like smoothies here. You can’t tell a Wednesday from a Sunday! That change has been refreshing; although, I am looking forward to weekends again. Soon after exams we get to pick our directed research project. I am still bouncing around on what I want to do, but as soon as I know, I’ll let you know. It will be really interesting to focus on one primary research idea and gather field data for two weeks before establishing a proposal. I am mostly leaning towards environmental policy and investigating the sustainability of pastoralism in regard to the Maasai tribes that inhabiat the group ranches in the Tsavo-Amboseli ecosystem; we’ll see what happens. I have to get done with exams first.

I certainly hope all is well wherever you may be. Thanksgiving is only 14 days away and if I fail to write before then, I wish you the very best of the holiday!

-Katie


 
 

1 comment:

  1. Great blog again! I was so excited to read it and learn a little more about your experience in Africa. Make sure you take it all in so you'll never forget the time you've had there. Yes, it was me that taught you to be confident about using the outdoors for those moments when you couldn't find a bathroom. Too bad there is no snow there, you could show everyone how truly talented you are. Don't keep us waiting too long for your next blog. Pop

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