TIA

This is Africa.

Sometimes I feel that I’m not experiencing the right amount of appreciation that I’m actually here: actually in Kenya, doing research on chimps, and being pretty independent about it to boot.  Every once in a while I’ll be walking along one of my routes and remember, oh yeah this isn’t California, or I’ll be sitting having lunch with the chimps and remember that I don’t get to do this back at home, but in general I just get into my data collection groove.

My daily routine is pretty monotonous, but a lot of fun.  I wake up in the morning (feeling like P-diddy) and eat a quick or leisurely, depending on if it’s an early day or a late day.  Early days start around 7:30, though I try to get to the young chimp house before then.  I watch the chimps eat their breakfast (or find their breakfast if it has been distributed in the enclosure) and write write write for my data collection.  Around 8:30 we head towards the visitor’s platform for the caregivers to greet visitors and take them on tours, and for me to look like a dorky researcher with all my gear hanging off me and walk around by myself.  Because there is a sign at the entrance to the visitor’s area that says “DO NOT WALK WITHOUT A GUIDE.” People are constantly amazed that I am walking around alone, although all the dorky gear does make me stick out as someone more experienced than a simple tourist.

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Cinnamon breasted bee-eaters in the walkway at chimps. 

When I’m with the old chimps I usually just walk the fenceline through the forest looking for chimps as they relax or play on the outskirts of their enclosure.  On young chimps days I walk the scenic route through the forest-walk, as the young chimps’ enclosure borders the river so I have to look for them along the river.  Because of the way the walkway twists and turns through the forest, I only have about five places that I can really get a good look at the chimps.  On any given day I usually spend a part of this time birding, as chimps are often not to be found but there are always birds around me.  I’ve actually seen more than 100 species of bird since arriving at Ol Pejeta five weeks ago, the vast majority of them in this walkway.  Whenever I find a group of chimps I stop and observe them for around ten minutes, then continue on my merry way to find more chimps.

Found these cubs when I went lion radio-tracking with Duma and some Earthwatchers.

On young chimps days I get to conquer my old nemesis: the stepping stones.  This is the way all the caregivers cross the river, and I’ve only fallen in once all year: Stephen and I both blame that fall on my shoes (I was wearing my Keen rip-offs instead of my usual sneakers).  After going through the walkway I head back to the night house and walk to the New New Nighthouse to check for chimps along that fenceline.  Usually there are none, although occasionally someone follows me over to the nighhouse to see what I am up to.  On old chimps days I also walk back to the night house, and then convince the person guarding the night house to come with me for a walk to the Southernmost corner of the enclosure, where I can usually find at least one chimp (sometimes all of them are there!).  This walk is about a kilometer each way, so I consider it part of my daily exercise routine, and sometimes even if I know none of the chimps are down there (I’ve seen them all go off to the northern enclosure) I still insist on going for the walk.  It’s a good opportunity for exercise and a great time to chat with the caregiver who accompanies me.  I really enjoy talking to all the caregivers, most of them are intelligent, curious about wildlife in the US and are happy to give me their opinions on chimp sanctuaries in general, silly tourists, or teach me a little Swahili while we walk.

Snoozing black rhino on Scott's plain 

In the afternoons I repeat the exercise – walking to the platform and then past the night house to the outer-most-reaches of the chimp enclosure – regardless of which group I am studying.  On early days I often skip this, as I will have been at chimps from breakfast until after lunch.  On late days I stick around and collect data until the chimps get dinner, unless I have something else pressing to do, and when I’m at the old house will give the guys a ride back to their living quarters.  Occasionally I am invited to take tea with someone after this, which is flattering and really enjoyable for me.  Sometimes we lack for things to talk about, but I’m pretty comfortable with the guys at this point so we usually do all-right in amiable silence.

My routine is broken rarely, only by Sundays, which I take off to catch up on data entry and see a bit more of the conservancy (helps me learn my way around as well as see more animals!) and days in which for some reason I can’t come to chimps.  There has only been one of these days, when a lioness managed to get herself trapped in the visitor area of chimps and refused to leave despite being chased by cars for half the day.  She was eventually convinced to leave by some armed askaris on foot after spending another night in there, but her presence meant that I wasn’t going to be hanging out at chimps for at least a day.  Lions around chimps are actually a somewhat-common occurrence, and the guys seem completely unphased by their presence.  As long as the lions aren’t just hanging out and move along on their merry way, they are happy to open chimps to visitors.  I yield to their superior bushcraft and knowledge of the behaviors of lions and accept that I’m safe (but keep a watchful eye anyway).

Cheetah mama and baby on Sidai plain 

The other day there were also about 25 elephants hanging out around the entrance to chimps.  I am a chicken, so elephants scare the crap out of me.  I have no desire to be charged and have my car flipped or impaled by ivory, so I act very cautiously.  These elephants were basically completely unconcerned by me and, once again, the chimp guys were unconcerned by them.  I also saw wild dogs at the chimp enclosure!  This is my only one-up on Kim as she gets to do all the fun stuff and see all the good animals, but wild dogs at Ol Pejeta are rare and awesome.  I saw them at the entrance to chimps one morning and pretty much immediately followed them on a private access road towards the old chimp house, and caught them in the open as they crossed a road that leads back towards Sweetwaters.  It was so awesome.

Life here has settled into a pretty awesome routine.  Sometimes things go wrong, more often I figure them out, and most days what needs to get done gets done. Sometimes it doesn’t but we don’t worry about it too much. TIA

The moon rising over Mt Kenya with a cattle dip in the foreground