Blogs

Since transferring camp yesterday was tough, we woke up groggy and rolled out of our bed rolls at 6 am. After eating a quick breakfast, all of us hopped into our assigned field vehicles and sped off. No matter how tired we were, everyone was excited because today was the day we would see meerkats! I was in Gareth’s Land... more

Time and time again (and I myself am guilty of this) people fall victim to tunnel vision, succumbing to the perception that most problems have one cause. It’s easy to brainstorm possible solutions when you ignore vital aspects of the conflict, but these solutions do not address the entirety of the problem, and as a result, they often fail to... more

The morning was eventful, starting with a mini-game drive before we departed Moremi Game Reserve. One of the first things we saw was a Great White Pelican, standing alone in shallow water. Mothusi, our guide, told us that pelicans are really fascinating birds because they are able to catch a fish and subsequently squeeze the water out of their mouth,... more

Today was a day of observations, which means we got to see a little bit of everything as we traversed the delta. But, today was especially memorable because it is the first (and only so far) time we have seen a lion! I came on this trip with an appreciation for all wildlife, but a strong drawing to these majestic... more

The sun rose on our first day in Makgadikgadi National Park and even though I had received a full 10 hours of sleep I found myself glued to my bed mat. We had been in Botswana for two weeks and the fatigue of changing campsites for the fourth time had set in. We had just gotten in from Maun the... more

One of the major themes of this course has been human-wildlife conflict in areas where there are no clear (if any) boundaries between wilderness and human existence. While a notable portion of conflict stems directly from human-wildlife proximity, such as crop raiding by pesky elephants, nature is often caught in the middle of the conflicting interests of humans. Of the... more

We were all hoping to see large predators, but they are typically active at night, when you don’t want to be out roaming around in these ecosystems. When you do see them during the day—for instance the lions and leopards we observed on occasion—they rarely do anything then other than sleep or otherwise rest up for their night-time hunting forays... more

After an incredible first night in Moremi Game Reserve and a stunning eclipse, we all had some time to “sleep in” this morning. Our day began at a crisp 6am with the beautiful sound of hippos grunting and our ever-exciting “good morning” call. Right off the bat, we gathered around the fire with a cup of coffee for a lesson... more

Our day in Moremi began on safari with the search for big cats. While one car had already had their first leopard sighting the day before, the other was more eager than ever to see the elusive cat. After meandering through the less traveled roads we found ourselves on the main road driving from island to island. That’s when I... more

After seeing some of the adult African wild dogs yesterday, our car was eager to make it to the den to see the puppies. We headed out in the late afternoon, just as the intense heat of the day was becoming bearable. The den itself consisted of a small mound in a clearing just off the road. As we arrived,... more