Ol Pejeta: When (stuff) got real!

It seemed as though it was going to be a long two weeks when we first arrived to Ol Pejeta-- we had apparently brought the rains along with us. For most, that was a good thing, but for us it meant black cotton soil, and lots of it. It was also much cooler due to the altitude change-- I hadn't anticipated temperatures that chilly! The landscape was more similar to what we had seen in the Mara, but there were more woody areas (A. drepanolobium and Euclea).



We met professor Geoffrey Wahungu when we arrived who was our instructional leader for the duration of our stay. We received many lectures during our time there including the background of the Conservancy, human-wildlife conflict, as well as the history of the chimpanzee sanctuary they have on grounds and some of their heartbreaking stories. We finished up our paper discussions and learned a lot about the ecology of the land: both animal and plant.


We did plenty of game drives during our stay, and managed to see some really cool scenes! The most memorable was definitely the baboon troop versus the leopard...all taking place 40 feet up in an acacia tree!

Here's some of the wildlife we saw (warthog piglets are my fave!):

                                                       Spotted hyena pup

                                                         Mount Kenya

                                                    A pair of white rhino

We participated in some strenuous field work (at least by our pathetic standards), but we gained valuable skills such as measuring vegetation, using a compass, identifying GPS coordinates, and so much more. Despite a few near-death experiences with rhino and buffalo, it was great to be in the field with the wildlife. It's an experience very few get to have, and I didn't take that for granted! This is Joseph who helped us out with all of our field work:

We were able to later analyze the data and present it in a variety of graphs and charts. From this we could draw inferences about the ecology of the land and tendencies in behaviors of various animal species. The species of tree Acacia drepanolobium is an important element to this landscape-- it is a staple food for the black rhino, who mostly graze, and the conservancy plays a significant role in it's conservation and recovery as a species. It was important to monitor the level of recruitment and density of these trees to ensure there is ample food supply for the rhino population.


Small mammal traps were set out frequently; unfortunately we managed to get 2 mangled traps (probably the work of baboons) and only 1 pouched mouse! He looked something like this:

During the last leg of this trip, we started to become obsessed with junkfood, and more specifically, Nakumatt. Weirdly obsessed. We needed our chocolate and we needed it NOW! We were lucky our drivers were so amenable to multiple trips into the neighboring town of Ninyuki to satisfy our cravings.

I really enjoyed our stay here at Ol Pejeta...but I have to say I sure won't miss Ralph the rat in my bed anymore!