Meet the Students

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. During their stay at NPS, the students also visit the world famous Maasai Mara National Reserve.

At NPS this semester, we conducted a traveling lecture where students observed and were provided information on how the city of Nairobi and several satellite towns are steadily cutting off wildlife movement between the NNP and the Amboseli system in the south. We also invited four guest speakers who discussed conservation issues in the area, including the conflicts that exist between the park and the neighboring community. To provide students with more insights on the management issues at NNP, we visited the park and received a lecture by the park warden. The lecture outlined the various problems facing the park and the strategies adapted to address theses problems. It was encouraging to learn that NNP had one of the most successful rhino breading programs in Kenya and was supplying other parks with the species. We had a local Maasai woman give a talk on the role of women in the Maasai production system. This lecture provoked lots of questions and discussion and lasted for three hours instead of two. From this lecture, it became clear to the students that the Maasai woman plays a very important role in the Maasai culture.

Students are now preparing for a five day expedition to the world famous Maasai Mara National Reserve. Dr. Simon K. ole Seno, Center Director

Student Reflections

As our academics were winding down and we began to transition into study mode for our finals we decided to take one last relaxing trip to Amboseli National Park. Determined to get the most out of our day off before finals, cars left at 6:30am, 8:00am, and 8:30am. After a morning of game driving and elephant observing we relaxed the afternoon away by the pool at Serena lodge. Studying was attempted but the vervet monkeys and inviting pool quickly saw an end to that. The rest of our afternoon was spent game driving. Just as we were leaving the park we spotted five cheetahs relaxing on a rotting log. A female with four sub-adults were enjoying the last lingering shadows of the day. Although we were the second car to stumble upon the cheetahs, the word quickly spread and before we knew it no fewer then forty vehicles were jamming the road along which the cheetahs were resting. This gave us the opportunity to observe several aspects of wildlife conservation we had been studying in class. First, we observed the interactions between parent and offspring and secondly the negative effects of tourism. The cheetahs tolerated the paparazzi for about ten minutes before sleeking off, setting the wildebeest grazing nearby into a panic. It was a great way to say goodbye to Amboseli. Adia Sovie, University of Massachusetts

Hello friends and family! Be reassured we are all still friends and still having an AMAZING time every day. This morning was our first in Nairboi National Park. We had a jam-packed day: a giraffe orphanage in the morning, then a bead factory, then a mall. Wow. I think the most amazing part of the day was this morning at the giraffe orphanage. I (and a few others) kissed the giraffes. Let me elaborate: We put the food pellets between our lips and let the darling creatures take it away. Interesting facts: giraffe tongues are purple, they slobber less than most dogs, their lips and tongues are prehensile, and the whiskers on their lips are scratchy. I greatly enjoyed feeding them, and I know the others did too. The giraffes are kept at the orphanage until they are two and then gradually weaned off the pellets and re-released into the wild. Only a few are permanent residents. The bead factory was amazing—they hand-make clay beads from start to finish. It was awe-inspiring to see the intricate, but repetitive, work they do day-in, day-out. Although the mall was nice because it was clean and ‘western,' it was actually very disconcerting to be in. Everyday we see such a wide variety of living conditions and ways of life and it makes me re-evaluate how I see the world. I think when we come back we will all be different, better people with a better understanding of the world and our role in it. At least, that is my hope. Summer Chrisman, University of California- Berkeley

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