Academic News

Our current program design is structured in a way that students travel to the National Park Site (NPS) camp and spend two weeks there. The NPS camp is situated adjacent to Nairobi National Park (NNP), which is the only park in the world situated within a capital city. While at NPS, students are exposed to the challenges of managing wildlife in a protected area situated within a very fast growing capital city.

We are in our first week at NPS and we have already had one guest lecture and several of our own. As an introduction to this system, we had a one-day tour where we observed and discussed the impact of the city of Nairobi and several satellite towns on wildlife conservation. These metropolises are growing so fast and they are steadily cutting off wildlife movement between the NNP and the Amboseli system in the south. To provide more insight into the problems bedeviling NNP, we visited the park and received a lecture by the park warden. According to the lecture, the problems facing the park are associated with its proximity to the city of Nairobi and include pollution of various forms, insularization and conflict with adjacent communities including trespassing into the park and park wildlife destroying private property. The lecture outlined the various strategies adapted to address these problems. We had a local Maasai woman give a talk on the role of women in the Maasai production system. The students raised many questions on female circumcision and other cultural practices affecting women. By the end of the lecture, it had become clear to the students that the Maasai woman plays a very important role in the Maasai culture. Dr. Simon K. ole Seno, Center Director

Student Reflections 

Ever since we returned from our Tsavo expedition to the Kilimanjaro Bush Camp (KBC) we had been working really hard, finishing assignments, studying for exams, as well as taking classes. It got a little stressful, but we found ways to relieve that stress, such as with our inter-banda volleyball tournament. One afternoon we set up a schedule for our six teams. The competition wasn't so much fierce as friendly. As Ash remarked in one of our pre-tournament practices “This feels like a family reunion.” A few teams got really into it, designing uniforms. After several rounds with double elimination, the Tumbili (monkey) team came out on top. We also started a March Madness bracket pool for the NCAA tournament. The winner will get candy or soda from the duka (our on-site store). The day after our tests, we left for NPS, which is where we are right now. It's so beautiful and green here, with more trees and grass than at KBC. Although there's no breathtaking view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, we can see the Ngong Hills from the hill next to camp. And today, returning from a game drive in NNP, we could see Mt. Kenya far in the distance. Too bad we're only here for a few weeks! Anastasia Ennis, Cornell University

Today we explored NNP, an island of grassy hills and wooded valleys pushed up against the urban sprawl and industry of Kenya's capital city.  We saw black rhino, massive eland and herds of awkward-looking hartebeest, often backed by views of Nairobi's skyscrapers.  The nearly inescapable visibility of development may detract from the park's aesthetic appeal or sense of “unspoiled nature,” but it is a reminder that—in theory, anyway—the industrialized and natural worlds can coexist. NNP is a small protected area within the much larger Athi-Kapiti ecosystem. Herds of migratory zebra, wildebeest and many other species move into the park during the dry season to take advantage of permanent water holes and grazing. These animals leave the park in the wet season to give birth and find new feeding areas. As Kenya's human population continues to soar, land around the park that was formerly available for wildlife is steadily being converted into housing developments or agriculture. Dr. Amboga, a guest lecturer and the senior warden of NNP, explained how the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is working with local communities around the park to keep this area open to migrating wildlife. By encouraging ecotourism development in local communities, KWS hopes to create a profitable, sustainable economic base for local people which incorporates and encourages wildlife conservation. Miles Johnson, Whitman College

Last week we finished classes and exams, and we are now getting introduced to our Directed Research (DR) projects. Last Tuesday we went to Kimana for the weekly market to stock up on fresh mangoes, and managed to scrounge up some fun old clothes to dress up for dinner.  On the 18^th, we headed up to NPS, where we are staying for the next ten days. This campus has more luscious surroundings than KBC and the people here are just as nice as at KBC. I wish we were staying here longer. Today, we went to NNP where we saw many animals, like black rhinos, elands, impalas and reedbucks. Brittain Mason, Skidmore College

Meet the students!

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