African Bushmeat Expedition

We are watching the crocodiles on the Grumeti and they use a different internet than us. We will upload as soon as possible. The ABE team.

If you talk of the wildlife in East Africa, you’re sure to hear of the Serengeti Plains, where the Wildebeest migrate from Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, where grassland plains stretch for miles and the animals are free to wander. Our morning began in the Serengeti; and as the sun was rising as we at our breakfast, we prepared to set off for our first game drive of the day.

As we were driving, some of our first animals of the day were two running lionesses ahead of our Land Rover. We drove around to get a better view and they disappeared in the thick brush across the road. Soon, we saw the lions crouching and walking with deliberate steps. Just ahead, three tall giraffes were feeding on the Acacia ahead of the lions. Though the lions barely come up to the giraffe’s knees, their stalking was a sure sign; the giraffes must run or be eaten. We drove along the road to get a better look and soon, the giraffes were running at full speed, stopping to look back and see where the lions were. Soon, the rules of the animal kingdom came into play as the giraffes, now on their guard, kept a close eye on the female in pursuit. Even though the lioness was only feet away, the element of surprise was no longer on her side. The giraffe’s speed now outweighed the solitary assassin and a kill could only be made if the giraffe made a fatal mistake. The giraffes were safe and the lioness soon walked off into the brush.

As we drove along, we then saw a successful kill with a female lion ripping into a fallen wildebeest. Among the forested area near the stream, vultures hovered nearby and watched her eat her morning feast. We were close enough to hear ripping flesh and the smacking lips of a happy lioness. After she had had her fill, she soon walked off to lie in the shady grass near the stream. Surprisingly, the vultures were reticent while sitting in the tree with the available meat lying out in the grass. (Dr. Vavra suggested we sample some for Mweka). Soon, one brave hooded vulture flew down and began to pick at the kill. We waited for a fight for the meat, but with the lions near, it never came. We decided to drive off to see the rest of the Serengeti. We drove out on the open plain, searching for one of the more elegant cats we were yet to observe, the magnificent cheetah (duma in Swahili). Along the long line of Acacia, we observed some raptors and watched them soar above and move from tree to tree. We spotted a tawny eagle eating a rodent in a tree and watched another drop right in front of us and take a rodent out of the grass. Brittney found a new passion in birding and raptly became our resident bird enthusiast and expert. Killerai, our guide, soon gave her a 1000+ “Birds of Tanzania” checklist and set a goal of 200 for the end of our trip. We soon ticked off over 70 species of birds; only 130 more to go!

While continuing our journey through the Serengeti, we found a large group of land rovers hovering around a certain tree. Up in the top branch was a magnificent leopard in what seemed to be a very uncomfortable position. Once there were at least 10 land rovers she decided to glide down the tree to move behind a bush, upsetting most of the people watching and taking pictures. But after about 15 minutes the leopard moved through the grass to another tree, but became indecisive and moved back to the previous tree and fell asleep at the bottom.

We moved ahead after figuring out the leopard was not going to be getting up any time soon and then found another lioness sleeping on top of a dirt mound in the distance. She paced back and forth a few times, but then fell asleep for an afternoon cat nap. Finding this as a sign, we left to go back to camp for a delicious lunch. The lunch included a tasty pasta salad, fresh vegetable and meat sandwich, along with a spicy vegetable soup. The weather unfortunately then became extremely hot, the complete opposite of an icy morning, but we proceeded to take an afternoon cat nap finding the lions action a very good idea.

After our power nap and being rested once more, we had a meeting about our plans for the workshop at Mweka College. We started an hour by hour plan as to what we will be teaching and incorporating in the class. We also tried to work out any worries each of us had about teaching the class to make sure it will go as smoothly as possible. We hope to integrate both our methods of DNA analysis along with environmental policies in Tanzania so both can be utilized to their full potential and each group can contribute knowledge of what their specialty is. We are excited about the workshop and will keep preparing as the workshop grows closer. Once we completed our meeting, we went for one last game drive in the sunset, enjoying the African sun as it set with the wildlife surrounding us.

A shout out to Brittney’s parents and friends. She misses you and loves you very much!

Our morning began at the Ndutu Lodge with a stunning sunrise and hot showers. This is the same lodge where Dr. Vavra and his uncle had stayed many years ago. The day started with breakfast in the main dining hall. Bowls of grains and cereals with milk on one table and bowls of fruit and yogurt on the other, we started with a cold breakfast. Then, after a course of eggs, bacon, and French pancakes, we were ready to start our day in Ndutu! It’s been an interesting experience going from campsite to lodge; all different ways to experience Africa. Even after our elaborate meal, we’ve concluded that eating dinner around the campfire has made our best memories of Africa.

Our first game drive of the day was in Ndutu, still in the Ngorongoro conservation area. The landscape was flat and open so we saw many grazing animals in Ndutu. Thomsons Gazelles and Grant’s Gazelles were the most common and we placed the sticky-pod tripod (with four suction cups for a base) to the front of our land rover and drove through the herds of Gazelles. Then, as we were driving through the forested area, we saw a heard of eland fairly close to the land rover. Our first eland of the trip, we were all excited to see the shy and elusive enormous antelopes.

We also stopped by Rheinhard Kunkel’s camp in Ndutu. He is a famous filmmaker who Dr. Vavra met on a previous trip. His camp was something like out of a Indiana Jones film with supply tents an old dusty Jeep and assorted survival gear. Unfortunately, he was not in. Instead we left our film and a note for him at the Ndutu office.

We came back for a nap and lunch at Ndutu then packed our bags to head out to the Serengeti. Ndutu is such a beautiful place—it is somewhat luxurious in a very natural setting. It was hard to leave but we were all excited to head to the Serengeti.

The ride was dusty and bumpy on the washboard road cutting through the Serengeti plain. We were surprised to see so many gazelle on either side of the track. We were especially excited to see a large male samba laying in the tall grass and then rise up for us in the beautiful soft light of the plain.

Further along we continued to see many gazelle along with many zebra and wildebeast. Close to our camp we came upon a beautiful female simba perched on a high branch of a large flat-topped acacia tree. She was awkwardly stretched out and in a deep sleep. After sometime she slowly inched her way down the trunk —much differently than the nimble leopard we had seen last week. After coming all the way down the trunk, she hit the ground and walked right up to our truck and passed only a few feet from us. This was quite a thrill for our first day in the Serengeti.

We were also happy to get back to a camp site and dinner around an open fire. The moon was bright and the sky clear on the gorgeous 4th of July in the bush. We had a special cake in celebration of the good ol’ US of A. Several renditions of American patriotic songs were sung around the fire. We talked of family and friends at home. Great to hear the Vavra boys are doing fine in summer camp. Can’t wait to take you here sometime soon. Thanks Grandma and Viejo. Hi to Oolong, Scout and the rest of the family. <3 Thanks Mrs. Morikawa for your comments and hope the Morikawas are well. Zac says: “I love you Mommy.”

Our expedition continued with us first leaving the Ngongoro Crater rim. After a warm breakfast we loaded the vehicle and departed for Ndutu, which is still in the Ngongoro Conservation Area.

As we began our days travels we first stopped at the Ngongoro Conservation Area head quarters. While at this conservation landmark we decided to use the opportunity to speak to Dr. Oliver Honer and Dr. Bettina Wachter of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. This slightly impromptu interview was a terrific experience to learn more about the spotted hyena, conservation in the area, issues with conservation in the area, and also to explain our own project to a fellow animal conservation group. This was a very unique group to be able to speak to for a number of reasons. For example, they have been working in the crater for 13 years, literally running out of names for hyena, and also are the only group able to perform research in the crater. Through our interactions with the group we were able to learn even more about the amazing research this group is doing. One issue that we learned about was that the Masaai dip their cattle, in order to kill ticks and parasites, but then the hyenas eat the cattle and die. Which is quite interesting because the dip was provided through another Dutch group, and thus it is difficult to understand the entire situation because the group was trying to help but unfortunately the help hurt the hyena. Sadly we were only able to speak to the group for a few minutes but as we were leaving we learned of the group’s moto “You must get to know the animals you are researching otherwise you can not research the animal properly.” For us, this was an important point because it reminded us of why were in Africa, to understand these animals so that we are able to perform our research properly.

After leaving the rim of the crater we then headed for Olduvai Gorge, where some of the oldest known fossils were found. As we left for Olduvai the trees of the crater began to disappear, being substituted for flat dusty plains. Driving to the gorge we were reminded of the Grand Canyon. There was a magnificent red decline that seemed to extend out of sight. Arriving at the gorge, we first began by viewing the museum and gathering a deeper knowledge of the history, researchers, and geological importance of the gorge. Following the museum, we headed down the steep decline of the gorge for an in depth walking tour and guide explanation of the site. After trekking through the dust and steep rocks we arrived at the site where Australopithicus boisei was founded, by Mary Leekey in the 1930s. It was here that we learned that the gorge is actually Oldupia Gorge and not Oluvai Gorge. In fact it was a translation mistake by the first researchers and the “P” was mistaken for a “V.” Oldupai of course coming from the name of the plant that is abundant in the gorge.

Following the gorge, we departed for Lake Ndutu and our last lodge prior to Mweka. Luckily for us Ndutu was several hours away through some of the most beautiful terrain in Africa and so our travels to camp became an amazing game drive. On this drive we saw abundant gazelle, Maasai boma, lesser flamingos, gull billed terns, white necked stilts along the shore of Lake Ndutu, elephants, and two honey badgers.

When we arrived at Ndutu lodge we were lucky to see four hyenas passing just feet from the path while walking to our rooms. We also saw two dik dik while enjoying a nice moto outside of the dinning hall. The lodge was very cozy and the people were very kind, helping us with anything we needed. There we enjoyed a semi-traditional Tanzanian dinner in the rustic dinner hall filled with art representing local wildlife. Along the wall were also ancient antelope horns and other various species, reminding us of the reason for our traveling to Africa and working on the bushmeat crisis.

Another exciting venture during dinner was the local ganet (also known as Tanzania’s raccoons) that came to visit. Inside the dinning hall were three ganet all lurking for some leftover chicken that was the main dish of the evening. We also spoke with the manager who explained how at least one ganet visits every night, but more came especially for the chicken. As we enjoyed our meal we also noticed a bat hanging around the ceiling, fluttering around and preparing for the hunt. Another visitor was the mighty dung beetle who enjoyed the front pathway of the rooms. Unfortunately, he had an especially hard time standing and on several occasions needed flipping over.

Together the entire atmosphere created a feeling of being connected with nature reminding us that no matter how far or close someone may be they still can be there in spirit.

Our morning travel along the rim of Ngorongoro Crater was like a scene from “Gorillas in the Mist”, but was more appropriately, cape buffalos in the mist. The massive animals with their tremendous boss and upswung horns would appear out of nowhere from the forest. We were reminded by Dr. Vavra of his uncle’s close encounter in the Loita Hills of Kenya where his good friend had his vertebrae crushed by a buffalo and nearly died during the attack. The lush vegetation along the rim is so dense and also so massive in its elevation from the forest floor. With the prominent vines hanging down one expects Tarzan to come swinging through any minute.

During our drive around the Crater we encountered one of the rhino researchers with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. He had a notebook on his lap and binoculars nearby. The Tanzanian field researcher reported to us that he had yet spotted one of the 30 resident rhinos of Ngorongoro. With the cool breeze coming off the north rim down into the Crater he suggested that the rhinos were all laying down in the tall grass. “Maybe they will rise later in the day”, he offered in Swahili. The population of the black rhinos has risen in Ngorongoro over the last decade, but this population represents much of what is left in the “wild.” It is encouraging though that this group is doing well in the protected confines of the Crater. We heard that they even make an effort to herd stray rhinos back into the Crater. One such wandering rhino somehow made his way through seven vehicles trying to redirect his path. This wanderer now resides somewhere in the Serengeti. We hope he is safe there.

Once inside the crater, there was never a moment without an animal nearby. The day brought exciting encounters with predators alert on the hunt and predators sleeping nearly close enough to touch. The major species of the crater consist of Zebras, Wildebeest, Cape Buffalos, Thompsons Gazelles, Grants Gazelle, Ostriches, and Warthogs. In the crater, there are also Rhinos, Cheetahs, Hippos, Elephants, Lions, and Hyenas (along with many other species). In the Crater, Hyena’s rule and 90% of the kills are done by Hyena. Killerai told us of a recent attack 36 hyenas made on a male lion. The male lion killed 3 hyenas and escaped.

As we drove along the paths in the Crater, some brown fur in the brush caught our eyes. Sure enough, two female sleeping lions were resting so close to the path that our Landrover could come within six feet of the sleeping felines. Excitedly scrambling to take footage and photos, this was soon to be the first of three close encounters to the simba in Ngorongoro. The second encounter was a male and female lion, both resting right next to the road. There was a huge line of LandRovers waiting to get a glimpse of the pair, but we were lucky enough to again be less than 5 feet away from the predators. Another encounter came when we found a single male lion who had found some meat, most likely killed by another predator, and was scavenging what was left. He was thoroughly full by the time we got there, but it was still very exciting to have him be the closest lion of all the ones we found to our car. He also had a fresh wound on his flank, maybe from the hyenas who had made the kill. Lastly, we saw a trio of lions, famously known as the “three brothers,” that are great hunters and have beautiful manes which reach down to their abdomens.

In the middle of our day-long game drive, we stopped to have box lunches on the lake where we had our lunch nearly a year ago. With Kites (a type of raptor) flying overhead and guinea fowl scurrying beneath our Landrover, we took the traditional picture near the Cape Buffalo skull. Soon we were off for our afternoon game drive and adventures.

While continuing our drive, we spotted some cat ears peaking out from the tall grass. Black tipped ears and a spotted coat let us know that we had found the shy Serval cat crouching for his prey. Shortly after the rare appearance he then disappeared back into the tall grass. But of course we waited in anticipation for the cat to reemerge. Ten or so minutes later, the cat stalked out of the grasses prepared for hunt. This rare appearance then became an amazing sight to see, a Serval cat hunting in the plains of Africa. The cat first slowly moved through the grass, raised its head erect, and then burst forward catching a large rodent in its teeth. A minute later, rodent in mouth, it continued for another. What an absolutely beautiful animal; whose beauty was only magnified by the display of delicate speed and power.

As we continued through the caldera we noticed some seemingly dead creatures off the side of the road, nothing to be concerned about. Several meters after passing, though, Dr. Vavra realized that they were actually two hyenas napping inches off the road. As we backed the vehicle to the sleeping beasts we were able to see these two awkward animals up close and personal. Being mere feet from these beasts gives an understanding as to why they are able to take down lions. They are not overly large animals, perhaps the size of a large dog, but with their powerful mouth and strength in numbers they are an animal to be weary of. As we were watching these creatures our guide told use about one of his overnight stays in Ngongoro where he witnessed a pack of hyenas attack a male lion. In that battle three of the hyenas were killed by the male but nonetheless hyenas are incredibly powerful despite their awkward and slightly passive looks.

Ngorongoro is like a natural fortress in a sense. Its giant walls protect the residents within. The surrounding rim is impressive in its rapid rise in elevation. The protection has proven to be quite beneficial to the animals within. We wondered what other kinds of protection can be provided to the wildlife outside the region. What can we do to protect them? That really is what much of the trip is about. We have several days left of venturing through some of the wilds of Tanzania before meeting with our bushmeat research collaborators at Mweka College. We want to discover not only what is left to save, but also discover the efforts of those involved in studying and caring for the animals that remain. By identifying those individuals involved we can assist in future partnerships here and abroad.

After a night of elephants, hyenas, and many zebra passing near our tents, we made our plans to head out of Tarangire. This morning we woke up, packed, and enjoyed a nice breakfast of granola cereal and toast. As we were sitting around the early-morning campfire we had our second close encounter with a monkey. Dr. Vavra had his toast stolen by a blue-balled vervet monkey. That’s right. After the monkey stole his bread it ran off about 30 feet or so and sat so that we could watch it eat. How nice of it.

Killerai then took us to visit a colleague from Mweka, Mustafa, an elephant researcher with Dr. Foley of Wildlife Conservation Society. We enjoyed a nice visit at Mustafa’s base camp in Tarangire and he gave us a wonderful interview. We discovered the trends of the elephant populations in Northern Tanzania. Mustafa also described their conservation efforts and the price tag placed on an elephant hunt. Any guesses? We could not believe it: $30,000 for one elephant hunt. There are over 1,000 elephants in Northern Tarangire, and he has to count and describe them all! Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay there long, as we had to be on our way to Ngorogoro.

It was a six hour journey to Ngorongoro passing through Lake Manyara Region, and an extreme change of scenery. After a few hours, we had to go into town to refuel. At the gas station, many local boys tried to come up to our land rover to sell us their trinkets. Jean had learned her lesson and kept her window shut. After the boys failed to sell us their goods by speaking to us in English, they tried Spanish. And French. It was funny watching them sneaking peeks at their notebooks and then coming up to the window and talking to Dr. Vavra as if they were fluent in Spanish.

About four hours in we stopped at a curio shop where we all bought cool African-themed shirts. As we were standing by the LandRover, waiting to take off again, Dr. Vavra pointed out that we haven’t been getting any exercise. The solution? A game of tag! As we ran around the land rover chasing after one another and yelling and laughing, the little Masai boys looked at us as if we were crazy.

Eventually we reached the Crater and settled in to the Rhino Lodge. We saw our first Cape Buffalo and were warned to stay off of our balcony at night because of the lions, elephants, and wildebeests that may
come. For the first time in days, many of us will take a shower. Tomorrow, we’re off to see the Crater and the amazing life there.

After arriving at camp yesterday we were able to briefly go on a game drive. But that was nothing compared to the game drive today.

This morning we awoke to colorful chorus of Killerai, our guide, just prior to the first lights of the day. A few groggy minutes later we enjoyed our fresh biscuits and eggs near the warm moto (fire). As the sun started to rise we prepared to leave on our exploration of Northern Tarangire.

Through the first lights of the day we witnessed the true beauty of the area and the majesty of the animals that inhabit it. A few of our first animals were the wildebeest, zebra, impala, waterbucks, reedbuck, rock hyrax, blue-ball river monkey, vervet monkey, woodpecker, tawny eagle, laughing doves, speckled mouse birds, pygmy falcon, love birds, go-away birds, secretary bird… just to name a few.

At this point we were just preparing to find a nice shady spot for lunch when we passed by the Tarangire river and nearly a dozen lions. At this point we obviously had to stop to view these magnificent hunters. Just a few minutes later, one of the lions started to move closer to the river followed by a herd of zebra a few minutes later. As the time passed the zebra slowly approached the water, the lion lowering to pounce. So now this lion, only 40 meters ahead of us, begins to angle its lowered body towards the zebra when we hear a ground shaking clamor down river. As we turned our heads we could see two lions attacking another herd of zebra. Unfortunately for our lion, the attack scared off the other zebra herd. Nonetheless, it was amazing to see these hunters in their element, despite not getting the kill.

After the lions’ attempt at lunch we then decided to eat our own lunch. Today we ate at the top of a cliff that overlooked a portion of the river we had been traveling near.

As we began to set out the lunch we realized that we had company, a “friendly” troop of baboons. As we began to eat, our “friends” began to move closer and closer… and closer, until they finally attacked. The clever animals performed a sneak attack, distracting from the front and attacking from behind. The baboons charged, approaching to literally inches away. The casualty of the encounter? Brittney’s sandwich.

After lunch we then continued our expedition. Throughout the post-lunch drive we witnessed the mighty tembo (elephant) creating their own watering holes with one to two year old baby elephants. And who could forget the Maasai twiga (giraffe) as they grazed high bushes. But the truly memorable experience of the entire drive today was when we stopped to look at some bird. Our guide then realized that a chui (leopard) was lying on a tree in the distance.

This truly rare, graceful, and confident creature then moved down the tree. We then moved the car to follow the stealthy animal. It took us a second but we then re-found the animal running past the river and into the tall grasses. As we sat, hoping for it to emerge we saw a reedbuck at full sprint through the tall grasses, which assured us that the chui was close. The powerful creature then slowly left the coverage of tall grasses only to disappear once again. What a sight.
After our game drive, as we sat around the golden flames of the campfire, Lazarus, star of our African Bushmeat documentary, made an appearance. As we sat down to a delicious camp-cooked meal, Lazarus shared more of his amazing stories with us.

He told us about how he came to be a park warden and what happens when he comes across poachers or bushmeat. It sounds like he’ll be able to join us for our workshop at Mweka and we are so excited to have him. He is also very excited by our efforts and he is enthusiastic about continuing our collaboration. He has a true spirit of conservation and we inspire each other to continue with our work.

Tarangire Public Camp

With our new “HTH African Bushmeat Expedition” logo in place on the door of our LandRover we were ready to get under way on our exploration of Northern Tanzania. What a great way to start our journey. When we started the day at the Outpost hotel, we were able to send the supplies for our workshop to Mweka college and soon were six bags lighter and all the more excited to get into the bush. We began our journeys of the day with a trek through the city of Arusha to exchange dollars for shilingi and search out our internet satellite card. The city was unusually crowded for this time of the year and Killerai, our guide, mentioned how economic times were forcing more people into the city. After a half a day in the city, we were ready to get out into the wilderness of the bush.

Satellite card in hand, we started on our way to our first stop of the trip, Tarangeri National Park. We made a stop for a delicious lunch on the outskirts of Arusha. We were soon joined by a group of Maasai herd boys who intently watched our every move. It was a very beautiful, yet also a somewhat sad area, seeing a once-was beautiful watering hole which is now dried up due to a serious drought in Tanzania. The Maasai women and children would walk far distances in the watering hole looking for supplies and water. We fear the unusually dry season will make game drives not as fruitful as they were last year. Soon after lunch, we began the rest of our journey to Tarangeri National Park.

When we arrived, the contrast to the city was absolute. The sun had begun to set and we rushed to camp so that we could have our first game drive free of baggage.

We were all alone in the public camp which was a pleasant surprise. Heading out of camp, the first animal we saw was a lone wildebeest, watching from the shade beneath the tree. We drove and made many stops, looking at the amazing and beautiful animals, ranging from a Zebra, Ostrich, Giraffe, Impala, Warthog, Lilac-Breasted Roller, Dik Dik and Vervet Monkeys. Then after snapping our first couple hundred photos, we returned back to camp to a delicious dinner.

Upon returning to camp we were greeted by Lazarus Saruni, the anti-poaching commander we met last year. It was great to share stories of our film, that he stars in, and to hear some of his latest adventures apprehending poachers.

As we were eating dinner, we started to hear some rustling in the bush. Soon after, Killerai told us it was a big animal, perhaps even an elephant. When we went to investigate, just 10 meters away from our furthest tent was a family of elephants feeding on the grass. The matriarch also let us know they were there with a very loud rumbling from their stomachs. We were even able to see the elephants with Bryndan’s night vision scope, giving them a green glow. After the matriarch announced it’s leaving, the rest left and we all decided it was best for us to retreat to our own beds as well. Now, as we blog around the campfire, reminiscing on old trips and anticipating the days to come, we wait to hear the sounds of the night. Out early tomorrow to explore Tarangire River.

What a wonderful encounter we had in the Amsterdam airport just prior to boarding our plane. The patch on his shirt “Coral Reef Genomics” indicated that he was someone we needed to meet. As we spoke to him we learned his name was Nsajigwa Mbije of Sokoine University in Tanzania where he teaches vertebrate zoology, which was coincidental as we had met several students from Sokoine University last year in Tarangire National Park and even corresponded over the year. Mbije is from the Department of Wildlife Management and was very interested in hearing about our Bushmeat Identification Workshop and our expedition. Throughout the conversation it became increasingly clear that a collaboration between Mbije and ourselves would be necessary. One of the larger objectives of this current expedition is to determine how best to coordinate efforts with collective partners within Tanzania, around Africa and abroad. Mbije was just returning from a conference in Shephardstown West Virginia – coincidentally, where we hope to show “Students of Consequence” in the American Conservation Film Festival. Mbije talked of familiar colleagues in the small world of marine biology. This encounter reaffirmed the importance of face to face encounters in Africa. So much of the transfer of information is via oral communication. Over this last year, of planning our return we have faced the struggles of trying to communicate with email with our partners here, but a simple airport conversation yielded great results.

Arriving in Kilimanjaro brought familiar smells of the vegetation mixed with burning wood and other unique smells of the land. Our first African mammals were the dark brown bats working the lights around the airport. On the plane we had been making our guesses of what we would see first “Ostrich, no giraffe.” “Maybe zebra.”

Finding all of our bags at the baggage carousel brought a huge sense of relief. “Yes, we have a thermocycler!” Not many travelers bring such equipment on safari and realizing that all of the materials we had spent months preparing were here and ready was truly a weight off our shoulders. Another strange coincidence to date was meeting a friend, Essy Levy of BioRad, biotech education supplier, on our plane leaving San Diego. Dr. Vavra had been talking to her in New Orleans in March, about having a BioRad thermocycler shipped from South Africa for the workshop.

Then upon our arrival in Tanzania we were able to greet our old friend Killerai Killerai of Dorobo Safaris. Many know Killerai from his great baboon story in “Students of Consequence.” We were ecstatic to find out recently that he was going to be able to guide us on this new expedition. He had recently encountered Lazarus Saruni, the anti-poaching commander with TANAPA, who told Killerai of the upcoming workshop we would hold at Mweka College.

On our drive through the night to the Outpost Lodge, Killerai told us stories of familiar friends from last year. The old Maasai leader Lorit, who had a goat slaughtered for us at Loborserit, had recently passed away. He was a large man with Brando-like speech and had dozens of offspring. He had told us many stories of his clan and of the changing wildlife populations he had seen over the years in the region east of Tarangire. Killerai also discussed with us the scant rains of this spring. With the sparse grass around Ngorongoro and the eastern Serengeti, much of the wildbeest had moved to the western Serengeti.

But now we must prepare for the next leg of the expedition. So we are off to prepare our materials for the upcoming workshop and well deserved rest.

We haven’t seen any zebras yet, but we’ve made it through the first leg, and as far as we know, so has our equipment. A two hour walk-through in the San Diego airport to make sure our bags passed the X-rays with TSA and we were off. The important things were the thermocycler (Thank you Ligand) for amplifying DNA and the molecular biology kits from Life Technologies.  Most travelers heading for safari just think about binoculars and cameras.

First to Minneapolis, then to Amsterdam, which is where we blog from now! The flights were longggg, but good and we’re gearing up for the final eight hour leg to Kilimanjaro. But during this time we’ve begun our malaria medication and are anxiously preparing for the plasmodium to enter our bloodstreams. This year brought many challenges optimizing protocols for our upcoming workshop. In the lab, each of the expedition members compared checklist upon checklist to ensure all of the equipment and reagents we would need were in place. And though we were packing for days till the last moment, and switching around bag contents at the airport check-in, each bag weighed a perfect fifty pounds and passed without problem. The planning and attention to detail was well worth it and now we sit in airports and airplanes, planning the final touches for our upcoming adventures and workshops. We’ve packed along a set of all the equipment we will need for the workshop and are anticipating a shipment of additional supplies from Life Technologies to arrive come the beginning of our time at Mweka College of African Wildlife Management. Now, in the last moments in Amsterdam, we ask that you all pass along the word to share our stories as we blog live from the bush. We are anticipating our next flight, our last connection, and soon, we will finally be in Tanzania. Twende, twende! (Let’s go!)