Where Have All The Wildebeest Gone?
on Nov 19, 2009 in elephant wildebeest zebras The “Great Migration” has finally decided to move along from the Trans-Mara side of the Mara. Some of you may ask how it is possible to know when this is official, but let me just give you a couple photos to help exemplify my point.Not more than...

Te amo, te odio, te amo, te odio: an ode to Barcelona
on Nov 17, 2009 in data genes hunting Since first being introduced to the West clan in 2007, my favorite male has been Barcelona. Barcelona is the second-highest ranking immigrant male in the clan, but by far the best looking (in my opinion). He's always extremely well-fed and well-coiff...

Suffice it to say the short rains have arrived.
on Nov 10, 200961 mm in less than two hours yesterday afternoon (that's about 2.5"). 44 of those mm (1.75") came within just half an hour. Unbelievable.The wildebeest seemed to know the rains were coming (they always do...) as they finally showed up last week. A go...

Wanting it Both Ways
on Nov 9, 2009One of the biggest inner conflicts I have experienced out here has been with tourists and tour vehicles. On the one hand, tourists help fund the existence of the park, and it's largely because of them that this land has been set aside as a protected...

Thirsty Lions
on Nov 1, 2009Some of you may already know this, but most of Kenya is in a severe drought. This is affecting crops, livestock, and wildlife within and outside of the parks. Driving back from Nairobi the other day, I couldn’t help but notice how dusty and dry it...

Camp's newest visitors
on Sep 27, 2009Our latest invasion is by a family of banded mongooses (no, the plural is not "mongeese"). Banded mongooses are small social carnivores that inhabits the Mara. To give you a reference point, they look and act a lot like meerkats—lots of vigilant be...

So far, so good...
on Sep 3, 2009...

Potter Park Zoo lecture
on Aug 25, 2009To those in the East Lansing area:A Maasai safari guide will be giving a guest lecture on Kenyan wildlife next month at Potter Park Zoo. You can find out more information here.

Cub cuteness
on Aug 23, 2009Okay, you've earned it. Here's a completely frivolous post that has nothing to do with the harsh realities of natural selection. Enjoy our latest crop of kiddos.

The shallow end of the gene pool
on Aug 17, 2009As we all know, we are not all equally blessed when it comes to genetic perfection, and our hyenas are no exception. Here are two particular gems:Having had braces for five years, I can relate to poor Snaggletooth, who's looked like this since she wa...