I am not by nature a morning person. So, when Leo, a master’s-degree student at the University of Nairobi asked if I wanted to go along with him and his field assistant, Gilbert, I said yes. They are working on what is a long-term study of the small mammals at Mpala. The project is under the direction of Dr. Jake Goheen, who works out of the University of Wyoming. Then I asked what time. Leo said, “We are leaving at 4:30 a.m., so bring your head torch.” When he saw the look on my face, he said something like it is a good thing we are traveling to one of the closer study sites; otherwise, we would have to leave at 3:30.
The two of them had baited and set the traps just after dark a few hours before I received the invitation. All the animals had to be weighed and released back in the same area they were caught before the sun caused them to overheat or the ants got the smallest of them. It is not the animals caught in the traps that made this a scary experience, but the potential to run into a cape buffalo or even a lion in the dark. Fortunately, I did not see either, but I did get stuck plenty of times by the long thorns of the numerous acacia trees. I noted after it started getting light that both of them were wearing clothes that were well torn.
They moved quickly and nimbly through the study plots. I did my best to keep up. One time I tried to follow Leo under a dense thicket that he passed under easily, only to find myself stuck. In my attempt to free myself I must have shaken the canopy, and I started to hear the sound of many large beating wings and feel the wind as they passed over and around my head. My light was pointing down, and I could not see what was making the noise. When I finally caught up with Leo, I asked what was that, and he said I woke up the Guinea Fowl from their roost. He then started a story about Gilbert when he was checking traps. When he bent to grab one of the foot-long metal boxes he noticed a baby cheetah nearby. Then, when he turned he was confronted by a snarling, hissing, momma cheetah who lunged toward him. His heart skipped a few beats. I guess it is all in the name of science.
If you want to learn more about some of these people click here.
If you want to see more pictures from this field experience click here.