Hey Everyone,
The news is out- I'm back in the States! I made a surprise appearance at the UCSD graduation ceremony and can no longer keep my return a secret. I'll be "around" for the summer, mostly in California, but continuing to be somewhat of a migrant.
I passed through 6 airports in 35 hours to get back- and barely in time to avoid the rainy season in Uganda. My last two nights in Kampala I got rained out of my tent, and my bags were soaked through with mud. It's good to be home- my first 24 hours home I took 4 showers and left a ring around the tub each time :) I made it back safely, though it took several days for my baggage to arrive, which is fine because it was all filthy clothing anyway. I washed it twice and let it suffice to say that I will never travel with a white shirt again.
Next up for the Great Ape Adventurer: The International Primatological Society congress in Edinburgh the first week of August, a gathering of primate researchers from around the world presenting their work. I'll soon after be heading to the University of St Andrews in Scotland for my PhD. I will continue learning about the great apes (and other primates!), continue traveling the globe, and continue having wild adventures!
Thanks to everyone who enjoyed reading my emails and blog, your responses were always appreciated even if I couldn't get back to you.
Have a great summer!
Katie Hall
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Hakuna Matata in Kenya
Jambo!
Sorry I left you all hanging with my pictures but no explanation! I just finished an action-packed tour through all the sights and scenery of Kenya, from the vibrant, bustling capital of Nairobi, to the serenity of misty Mt. Kenya, to a traditional and colorful Maasai village, and of course, to the vast expanse of the African plains, replete with wildlife.
The environment here is completely different from the forest in Uganda- I only wish I could jump out of the vehicle and run free through the tall dry grass as the zebra and giraffes do. Then I have to remind myself that lions and hyena also run around here. So maybe next time, after they invent predator-repellent. As you all know, insect repellent didn't do me much good...so it might be a while before this dream becomes a reality. Perhaps if I wore a bright red shawl, as the Maasai herders wear, and traveled with my 150 cattle I would be safer, but this would involve acquiring some cattle.
Anyway, back to the story. In Kenya, everything is very convenient (flushing toilets! running water!)- even all the important Swahili phrases are arranged neatly into a catchy little song that I cant stop humming. On the night of my arrival, not-so-fresh off of the 12 hour bus ride from Uganda, I was happy to finally scrub some dirt out from under my nails.
Among the long list of activities we covered in the day in Nairobi, I'd have to say our short trip to the National Museum takes the cake. The museum has just reopened following years of renovations, and we had a private tour through the "hominid skeleton" room. There were several skulls and skull casts of very early hominids, from australopithecus afarensis, to homo erectus, even a few others I had never heard of (shouldnt have skipped class that one time...) but it was interesting to see the progression of the size and shape of the brain case and relating structures and to ponder the environmental pressures and genetics that eventually led to our current brain size.
Though the highlight of the entire trip was without a doubt the animal viewing opportunities. In Amboseli national park, I spent hours surrounded by a herd of 50 elephants (there are about 1500 total in the park, so they are never far away). I enjoyed watching them slowly march across the plain towards the marshes, then as the young ones learned to use their trunks to sip and spray water, as well as pick up sticks and twirl them like marching band leaders.
The tour took me through Mt Kenya, though we didn't climb it. After sitting in the car for so many days, after averaging 20 km of walking each day, I was about to lose my mind! I was hoping to run around the mountain but unless we had a paid guide, we were not permitted off hotel property. Now what is it about having to pay people to allow me to walk everywhere I go? So Shannon and I snuck off the property with an armed guard (in case a forest elephant charged) and walked 8 km, a nice retreat to at least build an appetite for dinner.
I spent the night at Sweetwaters, in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is a tented camp overlooking a very popular watering hole. It was so fun to watch a 'journey' of giraffes splay their legs awkwardly to drink the water, wildebeest lock horns, and several warthogs run around with their tails in the air, and stop short as if they forgot where and why they were running to in such a hurry.
We visited a huge roadside curio shop for souvenirs, and even though you can bargain down the prices, its amazing what you get sucked into buying. So when our tour guide kept repeating that the next activity would be to visit an orphanage, I thought- "Is this some sick joke?" But in actuality we visited an animal orphanage, which was the most fun of the entire trip. Imagine a petting zoo of your childhood; now replace ponies with buffalo, goats with wildebeest, and chickens with ostrich. And dont forget the cheetah, suni, caracal, eland, pygmy hippo, and patas monkeys.
The young man who showed us around the lot, Peter, was our source of several peals of laughter. I couldn't contain myself as I watched him giggle like a 4 year old as he tickled the baby warthog, Chuckie. "Chuckie! Chuckie! Does it tickle?" He kept calling in his slightly nasally voice, interrupted by his own laughs and snorts. I also almost fell over laughing with Shannon. Lynn, the baby wildebeest, is a very headstrong (haha) individual, and enjoyed play-butting all the visitors. But Shannon of course didnt want the sharp horns poking her, so grabbed onto them for better control. Well, wildebeest are basically programmed to exhibit fighting postures and behaviors when their horns are locked like this, and the butting only increased. When you have the bull by the horns- what do you do? If you hold on, their desire to fight increases; if you let go, they will surely poke you; at what point should you let go? So as I am still catching my breath over the ticklish Chuckie, I hear Shannon's faint voice over the laughter- "Peter? Peter? I think the wildebeest is trying to impale me." We look over as she is feebly trying to maneuver herself out of this tricky situation, and Peter jumps in and grabs the horns so she can escape. This only leads to more laughter.
At the Maasai Mara, the game viewing is incredible. Our first night, the sun set over a pride of 5 female lions and 4 cubs feasting on an elephant carcass. We got within 30 feet of the crime scene and watched the cubs play "king of the mountain" as they danced over the elephant's body. We were close enough to hear the flesh tearing as the females gorged themselves. We had seen 4 of the "Big 5" so far- Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, and Lion. The elusive leopard had escaped us narrowly before. So on our last game drive of the tour we were determined to see it. We circled the small patch of bush known to be her hunting grounds for quite some time, and our driver was ready to give up when I saw a black-tipped tail swish behind a tree. "I see it!! Stop the car!" We sat for several minutes before everyone in the car could make out the pattern against the leaves and rocks of the habitat. Leopards are SO well camouflaged, I thought I saw at least 30 before I actually saw the real thing. But there she was, majestic and relaxed. A cub was nearby eating an antelope, but was even more difficult to see- I didnt even realize it was there until after about 10 minutes of watching the mother. We also saw a vulture eating an antelope, and it was hilarious to see the "landing pattern" in the sky of all the other birds of prey circling down to get a bite. But of course the birds were so busy defending their piece of the catch that they didnt notice two jackals sneak in and slip away with their meal.
At the end of the day, we were surprised with a roaring bonfire at the hilltop overlooking a gorgeous sunset, and a small table with wine, beer, and other drinks on offer. What a treat!
If you havent seen the photos yet, check out my album on Webshots (and I have added more since last time, including lions and leopards): http://community.webshots.com/user/MsKatieHall
I'll be home soon....
-Katie Hall
Sorry I left you all hanging with my pictures but no explanation! I just finished an action-packed tour through all the sights and scenery of Kenya, from the vibrant, bustling capital of Nairobi, to the serenity of misty Mt. Kenya, to a traditional and colorful Maasai village, and of course, to the vast expanse of the African plains, replete with wildlife.
The environment here is completely different from the forest in Uganda- I only wish I could jump out of the vehicle and run free through the tall dry grass as the zebra and giraffes do. Then I have to remind myself that lions and hyena also run around here. So maybe next time, after they invent predator-repellent. As you all know, insect repellent didn't do me much good...so it might be a while before this dream becomes a reality. Perhaps if I wore a bright red shawl, as the Maasai herders wear, and traveled with my 150 cattle I would be safer, but this would involve acquiring some cattle.
Anyway, back to the story. In Kenya, everything is very convenient (flushing toilets! running water!)- even all the important Swahili phrases are arranged neatly into a catchy little song that I cant stop humming. On the night of my arrival, not-so-fresh off of the 12 hour bus ride from Uganda, I was happy to finally scrub some dirt out from under my nails.
Among the long list of activities we covered in the day in Nairobi, I'd have to say our short trip to the National Museum takes the cake. The museum has just reopened following years of renovations, and we had a private tour through the "hominid skeleton" room. There were several skulls and skull casts of very early hominids, from australopithecus afarensis, to homo erectus, even a few others I had never heard of (shouldnt have skipped class that one time...) but it was interesting to see the progression of the size and shape of the brain case and relating structures and to ponder the environmental pressures and genetics that eventually led to our current brain size.
Though the highlight of the entire trip was without a doubt the animal viewing opportunities. In Amboseli national park, I spent hours surrounded by a herd of 50 elephants (there are about 1500 total in the park, so they are never far away). I enjoyed watching them slowly march across the plain towards the marshes, then as the young ones learned to use their trunks to sip and spray water, as well as pick up sticks and twirl them like marching band leaders.
The tour took me through Mt Kenya, though we didn't climb it. After sitting in the car for so many days, after averaging 20 km of walking each day, I was about to lose my mind! I was hoping to run around the mountain but unless we had a paid guide, we were not permitted off hotel property. Now what is it about having to pay people to allow me to walk everywhere I go? So Shannon and I snuck off the property with an armed guard (in case a forest elephant charged) and walked 8 km, a nice retreat to at least build an appetite for dinner.
I spent the night at Sweetwaters, in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is a tented camp overlooking a very popular watering hole. It was so fun to watch a 'journey' of giraffes splay their legs awkwardly to drink the water, wildebeest lock horns, and several warthogs run around with their tails in the air, and stop short as if they forgot where and why they were running to in such a hurry.
We visited a huge roadside curio shop for souvenirs, and even though you can bargain down the prices, its amazing what you get sucked into buying. So when our tour guide kept repeating that the next activity would be to visit an orphanage, I thought- "Is this some sick joke?" But in actuality we visited an animal orphanage, which was the most fun of the entire trip. Imagine a petting zoo of your childhood; now replace ponies with buffalo, goats with wildebeest, and chickens with ostrich. And dont forget the cheetah, suni, caracal, eland, pygmy hippo, and patas monkeys.
The young man who showed us around the lot, Peter, was our source of several peals of laughter. I couldn't contain myself as I watched him giggle like a 4 year old as he tickled the baby warthog, Chuckie. "Chuckie! Chuckie! Does it tickle?" He kept calling in his slightly nasally voice, interrupted by his own laughs and snorts. I also almost fell over laughing with Shannon. Lynn, the baby wildebeest, is a very headstrong (haha) individual, and enjoyed play-butting all the visitors. But Shannon of course didnt want the sharp horns poking her, so grabbed onto them for better control. Well, wildebeest are basically programmed to exhibit fighting postures and behaviors when their horns are locked like this, and the butting only increased. When you have the bull by the horns- what do you do? If you hold on, their desire to fight increases; if you let go, they will surely poke you; at what point should you let go? So as I am still catching my breath over the ticklish Chuckie, I hear Shannon's faint voice over the laughter- "Peter? Peter? I think the wildebeest is trying to impale me." We look over as she is feebly trying to maneuver herself out of this tricky situation, and Peter jumps in and grabs the horns so she can escape. This only leads to more laughter.
At the Maasai Mara, the game viewing is incredible. Our first night, the sun set over a pride of 5 female lions and 4 cubs feasting on an elephant carcass. We got within 30 feet of the crime scene and watched the cubs play "king of the mountain" as they danced over the elephant's body. We were close enough to hear the flesh tearing as the females gorged themselves. We had seen 4 of the "Big 5" so far- Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, and Lion. The elusive leopard had escaped us narrowly before. So on our last game drive of the tour we were determined to see it. We circled the small patch of bush known to be her hunting grounds for quite some time, and our driver was ready to give up when I saw a black-tipped tail swish behind a tree. "I see it!! Stop the car!" We sat for several minutes before everyone in the car could make out the pattern against the leaves and rocks of the habitat. Leopards are SO well camouflaged, I thought I saw at least 30 before I actually saw the real thing. But there she was, majestic and relaxed. A cub was nearby eating an antelope, but was even more difficult to see- I didnt even realize it was there until after about 10 minutes of watching the mother. We also saw a vulture eating an antelope, and it was hilarious to see the "landing pattern" in the sky of all the other birds of prey circling down to get a bite. But of course the birds were so busy defending their piece of the catch that they didnt notice two jackals sneak in and slip away with their meal.
At the end of the day, we were surprised with a roaring bonfire at the hilltop overlooking a gorgeous sunset, and a small table with wine, beer, and other drinks on offer. What a treat!
If you havent seen the photos yet, check out my album on Webshots (and I have added more since last time, including lions and leopards): http://community.webshots.com
I'll be home soon....
-Katie Hall
Thursday, May 29, 2008
PHOTOS!! (finally)
No time to write of my most recent adventures, so let the pictures tell the story: http://community.webshots.com/user/MsKatieHall
Check out gorillas in Uganda, pictures of Rwanda, and wildlife photos in Kenya; you may need to set aside an hour or two to enjoy them all!
Check out gorillas in Uganda, pictures of Rwanda, and wildlife photos in Kenya; you may need to set aside an hour or two to enjoy them all!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Muzungu in the Mist
Hey Everyone!!
Since the end of the research project, my travels have taken me south through Uganda and Rwanda. For those who have been asking, I'm not home yet! (I'll be back in July).
My first destination was the Rwenzori mountains in Uganda, also known as the "Mountains of the Moon." We stayed at the scenic Ruboni community camp, and as Shannon described it, "It's like walking into a fairy tale!" The beautiful mountain backdrop with snowy peaks, the clean rivers, the serene lake, and the friendly, colorful people made Ruboni seem like heaven on earth. I wish we could have stayed longer. We took a wonderful guided hike up the side of the hill (very steep! 2km straight up), and back down through the forest. Our guide, Aprunale, was very knowledgeable and showed us male and female specimens of the 3-horned chameleon endemic only to the Rwenzori mountain range. The hike through the forest crossed over a few rivers, and we had to cross wooden bridges Indiana Jones- style, how fun!
We had quite an adventure reaching our next destination, Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park. First, we walked 3 km in the rain carrying 75 pounds of gear to the next town, where we had missed the bus by about an hour. So, we hopped on motorcycles and rode down the mountain to Kasese, the nearest "city" (I call it that because buses actually go there). From Kasese, we caught a bus to Katunguru, where we had hoped to hire a car to take us into the national park, but the bus dropped us off at this dusty abandoned intersection, with only one car around, not much choice. So, we hopped on the back of a pickup truck with 25 other people (no joke) and bounced down the bumpiest road in the country for 70 km to our destination, 3 1/2 hours later. Then of course, we were at the gate of the national park, with no way to get in, so the driver of the pickup called his buddy to take us for a game drive. It quickly became clear that he did not speak english, had never been into the park, knew nothing of animals, and had no sense of direction. All that aside, we did enjoy the game drive (though we didn't see the famed tree-climbing lions), and we made it safely to Bwindi, for the approximate price of $40. you get what you pay for!
In Bwindi, I had an amzing experience gorilla tracking! (stay tuned for pictures- internet too slow to post here) There are 24 permits available each day for tourists, but the day I went, only 6 people were present, so we split into two groups and had our own private gorilla viewing hour. Shannon and I decided to hike to the "far" group of gorillas, Habinyanja family, about a 3 hour hike to find the gorillas. It was a harder hike than the Rwenzoris, but definitely worth it! I was amazed at how magnificent (and large) the gorillas are, until the Silverback walked by and I was astonished- he's HUGE!! We watched him eat for a while, and as he walked off we heard him chest beating- a message to the others to follow him (not like King Kong, no violence at all). We watched the infants playing until our hour was up only too soon!
RWANDA- the land of a thousand hills, or the land where everyone looks like Don Cheadle. Rwanda is a surprisingly clean, organized, and orderly country; all the roads are paved and lined with flowers, and there is no trash anywhere! We first went to Parc National des Volcans, and hiked to the peak of Bisoke (about 3700 m), where there was a crater lake at the top in the center of the dead volcano. It was a muddy and misty hike. We were practically in the stratosphere; it was eerie to gaze out and see only mist and clouds, then as the wind blew, to see 1000 hills stretch ahead for miles.
We spent some time in Kigali to see the genocide memorial. It was very moving, with 250,000 victims buried there. The exhibits explained the history of conflict leading up to the 1994 genocide of Tutsis by Hutus. There were many photos of victims donated by their families (probably the only photo the family had), and there were video interviews of suvivors describing the struggles they endured, and continue to endure with the guilt of it all. The memorial was informative, but my conversations with locals really helped put it in perspective.
In Butare, the intellectual capital of the country, I met with some students at the university, Felix, Felix, and Norbert, and they discussed the current situation in Rwanda. People no longer distinguish themselves as Hutu/Tutsi/Twa, but all are Rwandans. Only foreigners still think of Hutu and Tutsi as valid categories, which does create tension, but the Rwandans are determined to move forward while remembering the past. Each town has a traditional court "gachacha" once a week to deal with the people accused of war crimes. It seems like good social healing, but it must be tough to live alongside those waiting trial for 15 years. The accused must wear pink, and the guilty wear orange, and work in the fields as punishment (death penalty has been eliminated for obvious reasons). Rwanda is no longer the war-stricken country recently portrayed by Hollywood; it is a beautiful, burgeoning place with a lot of pain, and a lot of insight into human struggle.
Next up: Kenya!
Please stay tuned for photographs, I wish I could upload them sooner, but internet is slow!
Love, Katie
Since the end of the research project, my travels have taken me south through Uganda and Rwanda. For those who have been asking, I'm not home yet! (I'll be back in July).
My first destination was the Rwenzori mountains in Uganda, also known as the "Mountains of the Moon." We stayed at the scenic Ruboni community camp, and as Shannon described it, "It's like walking into a fairy tale!" The beautiful mountain backdrop with snowy peaks, the clean rivers, the serene lake, and the friendly, colorful people made Ruboni seem like heaven on earth. I wish we could have stayed longer. We took a wonderful guided hike up the side of the hill (very steep! 2km straight up), and back down through the forest. Our guide, Aprunale, was very knowledgeable and showed us male and female specimens of the 3-horned chameleon endemic only to the Rwenzori mountain range. The hike through the forest crossed over a few rivers, and we had to cross wooden bridges Indiana Jones- style, how fun!
We had quite an adventure reaching our next destination, Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park. First, we walked 3 km in the rain carrying 75 pounds of gear to the next town, where we had missed the bus by about an hour. So, we hopped on motorcycles and rode down the mountain to Kasese, the nearest "city" (I call it that because buses actually go there). From Kasese, we caught a bus to Katunguru, where we had hoped to hire a car to take us into the national park, but the bus dropped us off at this dusty abandoned intersection, with only one car around, not much choice. So, we hopped on the back of a pickup truck with 25 other people (no joke) and bounced down the bumpiest road in the country for 70 km to our destination, 3 1/2 hours later. Then of course, we were at the gate of the national park, with no way to get in, so the driver of the pickup called his buddy to take us for a game drive. It quickly became clear that he did not speak english, had never been into the park, knew nothing of animals, and had no sense of direction. All that aside, we did enjoy the game drive (though we didn't see the famed tree-climbing lions), and we made it safely to Bwindi, for the approximate price of $40. you get what you pay for!
In Bwindi, I had an amzing experience gorilla tracking! (stay tuned for pictures- internet too slow to post here) There are 24 permits available each day for tourists, but the day I went, only 6 people were present, so we split into two groups and had our own private gorilla viewing hour. Shannon and I decided to hike to the "far" group of gorillas, Habinyanja family, about a 3 hour hike to find the gorillas. It was a harder hike than the Rwenzoris, but definitely worth it! I was amazed at how magnificent (and large) the gorillas are, until the Silverback walked by and I was astonished- he's HUGE!! We watched him eat for a while, and as he walked off we heard him chest beating- a message to the others to follow him (not like King Kong, no violence at all). We watched the infants playing until our hour was up only too soon!
RWANDA- the land of a thousand hills, or the land where everyone looks like Don Cheadle. Rwanda is a surprisingly clean, organized, and orderly country; all the roads are paved and lined with flowers, and there is no trash anywhere! We first went to Parc National des Volcans, and hiked to the peak of Bisoke (about 3700 m), where there was a crater lake at the top in the center of the dead volcano. It was a muddy and misty hike. We were practically in the stratosphere; it was eerie to gaze out and see only mist and clouds, then as the wind blew, to see 1000 hills stretch ahead for miles.
We spent some time in Kigali to see the genocide memorial. It was very moving, with 250,000 victims buried there. The exhibits explained the history of conflict leading up to the 1994 genocide of Tutsis by Hutus. There were many photos of victims donated by their families (probably the only photo the family had), and there were video interviews of suvivors describing the struggles they endured, and continue to endure with the guilt of it all. The memorial was informative, but my conversations with locals really helped put it in perspective.
In Butare, the intellectual capital of the country, I met with some students at the university, Felix, Felix, and Norbert, and they discussed the current situation in Rwanda. People no longer distinguish themselves as Hutu/Tutsi/Twa, but all are Rwandans. Only foreigners still think of Hutu and Tutsi as valid categories, which does create tension, but the Rwandans are determined to move forward while remembering the past. Each town has a traditional court "gachacha" once a week to deal with the people accused of war crimes. It seems like good social healing, but it must be tough to live alongside those waiting trial for 15 years. The accused must wear pink, and the guilty wear orange, and work in the fields as punishment (death penalty has been eliminated for obvious reasons). Rwanda is no longer the war-stricken country recently portrayed by Hollywood; it is a beautiful, burgeoning place with a lot of pain, and a lot of insight into human struggle.
Next up: Kenya!
Please stay tuned for photographs, I wish I could upload them sooner, but internet is slow!
Love, Katie
Saturday, April 26, 2008
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
Once again sorry for the delay in updates, I have been very busy working nonstop 12 days in a row. I have been up, down, and all around the Budongo Forest Reserve, experiencing the other sites where research on chimpanzees is taking place.
First, I visited Kaniyo-Pabidi, an ecotourism site. It is a gorgeous pristine forest with 87 chimps in the study group. The forest was so beautiful it was depressing to think of how degraded Kasokwa is. We could easily follow the chimps in the trees and on the ground, as the undergrowth is not very thick. I became fast friends with the field assistants Justin and Joyce. Not only did I enjoy the serenity in the forest, but I really appreciated a hot running water shower! :)
I also visited Sonso, the main research station in the forest. I had to do habitat work for Zinta, what most people consider "hardship duty." Habitat work involves making a 1 km transect, plotting points every 5o m. At each point, a GPS is taken, and all trees in a 12.7 m radius are identified and measured by diameter at breast height. It is tedious and dirty work, especially in the rain! I had to crawl under vines, over logs, through lantana, and wade through a swamp.
So after 2 days of this, it was a treat to go out with the Sonso chimps. They are so well habituated and trusting; a group of at least 8 individuals laid down on the ground within 30 feet of where I sat for an hour long nap.
It was also refreshing to be among the intellectual company of other researchers for a few days, and to escape the village gossip (see below). Tony described to me the challenges and excitement of being involved in the Chimp Health Monitoring Program; Anya vented frustration over the moisture ruining expensive camera equipment, and meanwhile Mario detailed the findings of several Theory of Mind studies done with ravens.
I enjoyed my little vacation, but it helped me realize there is not place like 'home' in Kibwona. Though the forest is really more of a scrap heap of trees not wanted by loggers overgrown with invasive lantana species, the chimps more of a textbook case study on population bottleneck than a thriving community, and the villagers more reliant on witchcraft, myth and alcohol than education, banks and healthcare, living in Kibwona has been an incomparable experiences most primate researchers (or most people from developed nations) never have the chance to enjoy.
How could I forget passing by a small gathering only to find out it was tha town council deliberating how to deal with a man intending to kill 9 people accused of witchcraft? Or hearing of the antics of Mama Roddin's crazy sister hopping on one leg naked though the village? Or my personal favorite- the gummy alcoholic who tried to sell me a bag of his teeth so he could afford to quench his thirst.
The chimps, too, have been memorable, and this past week has been one of the best yet. I am able to get closer to them when they are on the ground--I have witnessed who makes the teeth clacking noise while grooming, whosteals sugar cane from others (Komuntu in both cases; how sugar cane is processed and shared with offspring; I have learned to recognize some voices and distinct pant hoots (Abooki wanting to raid sugar cane, Kangeye fleeing from insistent suitors); and I have laughed a the infants' energetic and curious playfulness, to their mothers' chagrin.
Most recently I watched Ajabu hang upside down by his feet and fall repeatedly on top of his mother Kakono sleeping in their nest. When she left the nest looking perturbed, Ajabu had a huge smile on his face and began bouncing in the nest balanced delicately on the flexible branches, reminding me of myself jumping on the bed as a youngster. Though I must reiterate that chimpanzees are APES, not monkeys, it also brought to mind the familiar refrain "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."
As the research comes to a close, I am sad to leave these chimps behind, their future uncertain in this forest caught between multiple avenues of human disturbance-- logging, hunting, farming (not to mention the lack of gene flow...). Will Kakono live to see healthy grandchimpies bouncing around? Ruhara, whose first son burned to death while caught crop raiding, and whose second son's hand is mutating into a uselesss claw because of a wire tightly wound around his wrist, recently gave birth to another baby; will the third time be the charm for her?
While it is difficult not to despair, there is reason for hope as researchers collaborate to find a solution, as Roots & Shoots groups in the area learn more about conserving forest resources, and as people around the globe become more aware of their personal impact.
-Katie
First, I visited Kaniyo-Pabidi, an ecotourism site. It is a gorgeous pristine forest with 87 chimps in the study group. The forest was so beautiful it was depressing to think of how degraded Kasokwa is. We could easily follow the chimps in the trees and on the ground, as the undergrowth is not very thick. I became fast friends with the field assistants Justin and Joyce. Not only did I enjoy the serenity in the forest, but I really appreciated a hot running water shower! :)
I also visited Sonso, the main research station in the forest. I had to do habitat work for Zinta, what most people consider "hardship duty." Habitat work involves making a 1 km transect, plotting points every 5o m. At each point, a GPS is taken, and all trees in a 12.7 m radius are identified and measured by diameter at breast height. It is tedious and dirty work, especially in the rain! I had to crawl under vines, over logs, through lantana, and wade through a swamp.
So after 2 days of this, it was a treat to go out with the Sonso chimps. They are so well habituated and trusting; a group of at least 8 individuals laid down on the ground within 30 feet of where I sat for an hour long nap.
It was also refreshing to be among the intellectual company of other researchers for a few days, and to escape the village gossip (see below). Tony described to me the challenges and excitement of being involved in the Chimp Health Monitoring Program; Anya vented frustration over the moisture ruining expensive camera equipment, and meanwhile Mario detailed the findings of several Theory of Mind studies done with ravens.
I enjoyed my little vacation, but it helped me realize there is not place like 'home' in Kibwona. Though the forest is really more of a scrap heap of trees not wanted by loggers overgrown with invasive lantana species, the chimps more of a textbook case study on population bottleneck than a thriving community, and the villagers more reliant on witchcraft, myth and alcohol than education, banks and healthcare, living in Kibwona has been an incomparable experiences most primate researchers (or most people from developed nations) never have the chance to enjoy.
How could I forget passing by a small gathering only to find out it was tha town council deliberating how to deal with a man intending to kill 9 people accused of witchcraft? Or hearing of the antics of Mama Roddin's crazy sister hopping on one leg naked though the village? Or my personal favorite- the gummy alcoholic who tried to sell me a bag of his teeth so he could afford to quench his thirst.
The chimps, too, have been memorable, and this past week has been one of the best yet. I am able to get closer to them when they are on the ground--I have witnessed who makes the teeth clacking noise while grooming, whosteals sugar cane from others (Komuntu in both cases; how sugar cane is processed and shared with offspring; I have learned to recognize some voices and distinct pant hoots (Abooki wanting to raid sugar cane, Kangeye fleeing from insistent suitors); and I have laughed a the infants' energetic and curious playfulness, to their mothers' chagrin.
Most recently I watched Ajabu hang upside down by his feet and fall repeatedly on top of his mother Kakono sleeping in their nest. When she left the nest looking perturbed, Ajabu had a huge smile on his face and began bouncing in the nest balanced delicately on the flexible branches, reminding me of myself jumping on the bed as a youngster. Though I must reiterate that chimpanzees are APES, not monkeys, it also brought to mind the familiar refrain "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."
As the research comes to a close, I am sad to leave these chimps behind, their future uncertain in this forest caught between multiple avenues of human disturbance-- logging, hunting, farming (not to mention the lack of gene flow...). Will Kakono live to see healthy grandchimpies bouncing around? Ruhara, whose first son burned to death while caught crop raiding, and whose second son's hand is mutating into a uselesss claw because of a wire tightly wound around his wrist, recently gave birth to another baby; will the third time be the charm for her?
While it is difficult not to despair, there is reason for hope as researchers collaborate to find a solution, as Roots & Shoots groups in the area learn more about conserving forest resources, and as people around the globe become more aware of their personal impact.
-Katie
Friday, April 11, 2008
Great photo
Also- check out this great photo that Shannon took: http://aquasoulphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/4596798_BwpYr#275430459_MoTNq-A-LB
Im collecting data on Komuntu in this photo.
Im collecting data on Komuntu in this photo.
Feeling Better!
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in updates, I have been recovering from malaria. Last weekend I got retested, and there is no malaria parasite in my blood :) I feel SO much better now, and I am back to work every day.
Though this week I'm really taking a "vacation" to visit the other
sites where Zinta is collecting data. Zinta is the PhD student who selected me for this project. It is a comparative study of different forest sites, looking at the chimpanzee stress response to human impact on the forest. As you can imagine, Kasokwa, where I have been collecting data, is very disturbed. the other sites are Busingiro (heavily logged), Kaniyo-Pabidi (pristine forest used for ecotourism), and Sonso (logged in the 1960s, now used for scientific research only).
I visited Shannon at the
Kaniyo-Pabidi ecotourism site, which is so much nicer than where I am
in Kasokwa. There is a REAL forest there, with 87 chimps! there are so
many not all of them have names, so Shannon is having fun naming them
after herself, etc. To see a real pristine primary forest only makes
more clear just how degraded Kasokwa is; disappointing, really, that
people let the devastation go so far.
I am still trying to think of a good name for the new baby chimp in
Kasokwa- if I can ID the gender I get to pick a name. But the chimps
here are very dispersed lately, not traveling in a big group anymore,
and I havent seen Ruhara and baby in a while. It is the end of the dry
season, so food is scarce, and we often catch some of them raiding
sugar cane. I even saw one chimp cross the main road, where people
speed a lot, to raid the crops of the households on the other side!
(probably eating mangoes and cassava or peanuts, whatever he can
find).
It is raining a LOT- one day we got 9.6 cm (about 4 inches), and
yesterday we got rained out of the forest. We were sitting in the rain
for about an hour and it wasnt stopping, and the chimps had already
moved on, so field assistant Joseph and I just decided to go home for some hot
chocolate :) .
Tomorrow morning I will go to Sonso, the main research area where
Zinta herself has been collecting data. She is on vacation with her
parents in town, so I have to do habitat work for her. This is what
all volunteers consider "hardship duty"- cutting transects, measuring
tree diameters, determining species and phenology of all plants in 3
meter radius, etc. excessively slow and tedious work. (this must be
done at all the sites, except kasokwa, because there is not enough
forest to do a full 500-m transect; i guess i cant get off that easy
after all!)
But it should be fun to be in "camp" with the other researchers, as
many of them are from st andrews, or plan to attend in the fall, so i
can make some friends and get away from the village for a few days.
Also, sonso has a nice kitchen with a real oven, so ill go wild making
good food! Ive been joking that when i get home i will get so fat
eating all the foods i miss, haha.
Im still planning on my july 1 flight out (arriving at LAX on july 3).
Though Zinta has just alerted me of a big conservation conference in
Uganda on july 5, I think one conference will be enough this year- I
signed up for the one in Edinburgh (IPS) for Aug 3-8. I have a hostel,
and just need to research some flights. Shannon and I are still trying
to plan our travels together, and she intends to keep her may 31
flight, so we will have a month together, then i will have a month on
my own. I will probably spend most of that time with my friend Femke,
who lives in Botswana.
So far the VERY tentative plan is: April 30- goodbye party in Kasokwa.
Travel to Rwenzori mountains and/or queen elizabeth NP in Uganda. May
7 we are booked to see the gorillas in Bwindi. From there, will bus to
Kampala, then Nairobi. (Shannon departs from Nairobi). we will visit
masai mara, then charter a dhow trip through the Lamu islands off the
coast of Kenya (she loves to sail and snorkel). When she leaves, I
will continue south through Arusha/Dar es Salaam to see Arusha NP and
Zanzibar. I will take an overnight charter bus to Zambia to see
victoria falls, then cross the border into Botswana and do a mokoro
tour of the delta. Then I will stay with Femke in a wild dog camp in
Maun where she is working. This seems like a lot, but time flies when
you are having fun!
I miss you all very much! Love, Katie
Sorry for the delay in updates, I have been recovering from malaria. Last weekend I got retested, and there is no malaria parasite in my blood :) I feel SO much better now, and I am back to work every day.
Though this week I'm really taking a "vacation" to visit the other
sites where Zinta is collecting data. Zinta is the PhD student who selected me for this project. It is a comparative study of different forest sites, looking at the chimpanzee stress response to human impact on the forest. As you can imagine, Kasokwa, where I have been collecting data, is very disturbed. the other sites are Busingiro (heavily logged), Kaniyo-Pabidi (pristine forest used for ecotourism), and Sonso (logged in the 1960s, now used for scientific research only).
I visited Shannon at the
Kaniyo-Pabidi ecotourism site, which is so much nicer than where I am
in Kasokwa. There is a REAL forest there, with 87 chimps! there are so
many not all of them have names, so Shannon is having fun naming them
after herself, etc. To see a real pristine primary forest only makes
more clear just how degraded Kasokwa is; disappointing, really, that
people let the devastation go so far.
I am still trying to think of a good name for the new baby chimp in
Kasokwa- if I can ID the gender I get to pick a name. But the chimps
here are very dispersed lately, not traveling in a big group anymore,
and I havent seen Ruhara and baby in a while. It is the end of the dry
season, so food is scarce, and we often catch some of them raiding
sugar cane. I even saw one chimp cross the main road, where people
speed a lot, to raid the crops of the households on the other side!
(probably eating mangoes and cassava or peanuts, whatever he can
find).
It is raining a LOT- one day we got 9.6 cm (about 4 inches), and
yesterday we got rained out of the forest. We were sitting in the rain
for about an hour and it wasnt stopping, and the chimps had already
moved on, so field assistant Joseph and I just decided to go home for some hot
chocolate :) .
Tomorrow morning I will go to Sonso, the main research area where
Zinta herself has been collecting data. She is on vacation with her
parents in town, so I have to do habitat work for her. This is what
all volunteers consider "hardship duty"- cutting transects, measuring
tree diameters, determining species and phenology of all plants in 3
meter radius, etc. excessively slow and tedious work. (this must be
done at all the sites, except kasokwa, because there is not enough
forest to do a full 500-m transect; i guess i cant get off that easy
after all!)
But it should be fun to be in "camp" with the other researchers, as
many of them are from st andrews, or plan to attend in the fall, so i
can make some friends and get away from the village for a few days.
Also, sonso has a nice kitchen with a real oven, so ill go wild making
good food! Ive been joking that when i get home i will get so fat
eating all the foods i miss, haha.
Im still planning on my july 1 flight out (arriving at LAX on july 3).
Though Zinta has just alerted me of a big conservation conference in
Uganda on july 5, I think one conference will be enough this year- I
signed up for the one in Edinburgh (IPS) for Aug 3-8. I have a hostel,
and just need to research some flights. Shannon and I are still trying
to plan our travels together, and she intends to keep her may 31
flight, so we will have a month together, then i will have a month on
my own. I will probably spend most of that time with my friend Femke,
who lives in Botswana.
So far the VERY tentative plan is: April 30- goodbye party in Kasokwa.
Travel to Rwenzori mountains and/or queen elizabeth NP in Uganda. May
7 we are booked to see the gorillas in Bwindi. From there, will bus to
Kampala, then Nairobi. (Shannon departs from Nairobi). we will visit
masai mara, then charter a dhow trip through the Lamu islands off the
coast of Kenya (she loves to sail and snorkel). When she leaves, I
will continue south through Arusha/Dar es Salaam to see Arusha NP and
Zanzibar. I will take an overnight charter bus to Zambia to see
victoria falls, then cross the border into Botswana and do a mokoro
tour of the delta. Then I will stay with Femke in a wild dog camp in
Maun where she is working. This seems like a lot, but time flies when
you are having fun!
I miss you all very much! Love, Katie
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
I'm sure I'll laugh about this someday...
I'm sure I'll laugh about this someday, but right now, having malaria sucks.
I guess taking Malarone every morning, sleeping under a mosquito net, and dousing myself in 100% DEET spray each morning isn't enough to deter those pesky mosquitos.
I went to the doctor and got some medication- Metronidazole (2 pills 3 times a day) and Artemether and Lumefantrine tablets (4 pills 2 times a day). So if I can manage to stay awake and coherent, I might actually be able to follow this silly regimen, in addition to the vitamins, probiotics, and other pills lined up on my bedside table. At least I'll be ingesting more than bananas, rice, and 7up.
I hope everyone else is healthy and well... I'll send another update about the chimps when I am well enough to go back out in the field.
-Katie
I guess taking Malarone every morning, sleeping under a mosquito net, and dousing myself in 100% DEET spray each morning isn't enough to deter those pesky mosquitos.
I went to the doctor and got some medication- Metronidazole (2 pills 3 times a day) and Artemether and Lumefantrine tablets (4 pills 2 times a day). So if I can manage to stay awake and coherent, I might actually be able to follow this silly regimen, in addition to the vitamins, probiotics, and other pills lined up on my bedside table. At least I'll be ingesting more than bananas, rice, and 7up.
I hope everyone else is healthy and well... I'll send another update about the chimps when I am well enough to go back out in the field.
-Katie
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Chigger Chronicles (and more yucky stuff)
Yes, as promised, the chigger chronicles. One day a few weeks ago, we were following the chimps into a muddy, swampy area. Ugh. There is a log "bridge" across the latter half of the expanse of hot smelly water. But to reach it, one must risk filling your rubber boots with water. This water was deep, and we were all hesitant to cross. Can't we just watch the chimps from this side?
Audacious Shannon jumps right in, tromping through the mud up to her bellybutton! So we must follow, and fill our boots with this sewage-looking water that the locals drink and bathe in. It can't be that bad, right?
So we all get gross and muddy and have a laugh. My boots are too small, so the thought of walking home in tight wet rubber boots chafing my already raw blisters was not appealing. I walked the 1 kilometer dirt path barefoot, as many people admonished against chiggers.
Chiggers are flea-sized bugs that crawl into your feet and lay eggs, an itchy and painful experience. Though I wouldn't know! Poor Shannon walked back in her muddy boots, and took them off as soon as we got home. Problem is, her feet were soft and moist, easy for chiggers to enter, but mine were dry and hardened from the walk.
About a week after the swamp adventure, Shannon removed 12 (?) chiggers from her feet- as many as 4 in one toe!! Imagine popping the biggest, pus-filled zit you have ever seen. Then remember that it is an insect and its offspring living in an egg sac under your toenail. Ew!!
Shannon has also been suffering from self-diagnosed cholera, probably also caused by nasty water. Sickness has become a way of life, and each meal is a gamble. We have both decided to enjoy the food as we eat it, no matter the consequences, and to take an immodium with the first bite. Each day is better than the last, and hopefully we will both have clean bills of health soon. As leonardio dicaprio put it in the film Blood Diamond, TIA!! (This is Africa)
Audacious Shannon jumps right in, tromping through the mud up to her bellybutton! So we must follow, and fill our boots with this sewage-looking water that the locals drink and bathe in. It can't be that bad, right?
So we all get gross and muddy and have a laugh. My boots are too small, so the thought of walking home in tight wet rubber boots chafing my already raw blisters was not appealing. I walked the 1 kilometer dirt path barefoot, as many people admonished against chiggers.
Chiggers are flea-sized bugs that crawl into your feet and lay eggs, an itchy and painful experience. Though I wouldn't know! Poor Shannon walked back in her muddy boots, and took them off as soon as we got home. Problem is, her feet were soft and moist, easy for chiggers to enter, but mine were dry and hardened from the walk.
About a week after the swamp adventure, Shannon removed 12 (?) chiggers from her feet- as many as 4 in one toe!! Imagine popping the biggest, pus-filled zit you have ever seen. Then remember that it is an insect and its offspring living in an egg sac under your toenail. Ew!!
Shannon has also been suffering from self-diagnosed cholera, probably also caused by nasty water. Sickness has become a way of life, and each meal is a gamble. We have both decided to enjoy the food as we eat it, no matter the consequences, and to take an immodium with the first bite. Each day is better than the last, and hopefully we will both have clean bills of health soon. As leonardio dicaprio put it in the film Blood Diamond, TIA!! (This is Africa)
Saturday, March 22, 2008
A day in the field
Following the chimps yesterday was so exciting and fun! We stayed close on their trail all morning and it finally seemed this is what being in the field is about. No sitting on the roadside peering through binoculars, no waiting for the chimps to come to us.
We denested Kakono, Kaija Alice, Ajabu, and Ruhara, and later saw Abooki, Komuntu and Sukari feeding in an antiaris tree at the crossroads. We followed them to another feeding tree, and then on the ground.
I'm always curious to know what the chimps do on the ground, and we were close enough to see through the undergrowth the infants playing- Elvis, Ajabu, and Kaija Alice. I also saw Komuntu (alpha male) "teeth clacking" while grooming, a very loud percussive sound that also involves some lip smacking, to alert the grooming partner that a parasite has been removed. It was fascinating to see how the sound is produced and its context.
The next day, after searching all areas of the forest, we accidentally came upon the chimps in block F2, by a well. I was sitting alone and heard some rustling in the bushes behind me, and saw a hand slowly climbing up the trunk of a sapling. I was startled, and thought it might be our field guide Joseph playing a trick on me, but it was Kaija Alice!
We saw Kemoso, Kakono, and Abooki raid the sugar cane that is planted right to the forest edge. I wondered out loud whether the chimps share, with whom, and how do they eat the cane? There are narrow "tunnels" in the undergrowth where the chimps frequently pass, and I practically lay on my stomach in order to see down the tunnel.
I watched as Kemoso processed her piece of cane- holding it in her left hand and peeling the outer layer off with her teeth and right hand. This peeling is very noisy, and her two offspring, Koojo and Elvis, came rushing over as she peeled. They waited as she broke off a small piece for Elvis, the younger brother, and Koojo could barely contain himself from grabbing his piece. (By the way- chimps are SO strong! I tried to eat cane, and needed a knife to peel it, and dont even think of breaking a piece off without breaking your arm first!) All my questions had been answered!
After the brothers ate their sugar cane, we were close enough to see them playing, and could even hear them laughing!! Imagine a hyper kid on a sugar rush, only really acrobatic, not to mention hairy!
We denested Kakono, Kaija Alice, Ajabu, and Ruhara, and later saw Abooki, Komuntu and Sukari feeding in an antiaris tree at the crossroads. We followed them to another feeding tree, and then on the ground.
I'm always curious to know what the chimps do on the ground, and we were close enough to see through the undergrowth the infants playing- Elvis, Ajabu, and Kaija Alice. I also saw Komuntu (alpha male) "teeth clacking" while grooming, a very loud percussive sound that also involves some lip smacking, to alert the grooming partner that a parasite has been removed. It was fascinating to see how the sound is produced and its context.
The next day, after searching all areas of the forest, we accidentally came upon the chimps in block F2, by a well. I was sitting alone and heard some rustling in the bushes behind me, and saw a hand slowly climbing up the trunk of a sapling. I was startled, and thought it might be our field guide Joseph playing a trick on me, but it was Kaija Alice!
We saw Kemoso, Kakono, and Abooki raid the sugar cane that is planted right to the forest edge. I wondered out loud whether the chimps share, with whom, and how do they eat the cane? There are narrow "tunnels" in the undergrowth where the chimps frequently pass, and I practically lay on my stomach in order to see down the tunnel.
I watched as Kemoso processed her piece of cane- holding it in her left hand and peeling the outer layer off with her teeth and right hand. This peeling is very noisy, and her two offspring, Koojo and Elvis, came rushing over as she peeled. They waited as she broke off a small piece for Elvis, the younger brother, and Koojo could barely contain himself from grabbing his piece. (By the way- chimps are SO strong! I tried to eat cane, and needed a knife to peel it, and dont even think of breaking a piece off without breaking your arm first!) All my questions had been answered!
After the brothers ate their sugar cane, we were close enough to see them playing, and could even hear them laughing!! Imagine a hyper kid on a sugar rush, only really acrobatic, not to mention hairy!
Animal House
There is no such thing as a silent night here. There is always some sound to impede our slumber- Nyango's radio (an ancient rastafarian-type who lives in a room attached to the house), a chorus of frogs, the bats chirping and fluttering under our tin roof, and the most pesky of all: a rat chewing on plastic in our kitchen.
The other night was particularly bad- worrying the rat would chew through our tupperware and eat our lunch, we got up several times during the night to hide our food and rearrange traps. We were very rudely awoken around 5:45 on our day off as the huge rat somehow made it into our room, and snuggled up in bed with Shannon. This uninvited bedmate crawled across her sleeping bag 3 times!!! three strikes, and you're out- we HAD to catch it.
We ran around with a broom, a bucket, and complete darkness for 45 minutes before Shannon had the bright idea to throw a mosquito net over it- which actually worked! Once caught though, neither of us would dare to kill it, so we left it in a bucket with abrick and a note on the lid, hoping some brave soul would dispose of the rat in our absence as we walked to the market at Kinyara. It turns out, some curious kid took the lid off and the rat escaped! hopefully it wont come back, but if it does, it will have McLovin to contend with.
McLovin is a chicken currently nestled among my dirty towels in the corner of the dining room. Here's the explanation: My friend Prossy, who works at the internet cafe, invited us to dinner at her home. We flipped through several photo albums of her family (Mother is 47, Prossy is the oldest of 8 children at 26, and the youngest is 15)- so there were a lot of pictures to look at. We then enjoyed a traditional Ugandan meal of cassava bread (a firm but sticky ball of dough), matoke (bananas prepared into a salty, sliceable block), meat with g-nut sauce (like soupy peanut butter), greens, and watermelon for dessert. As we were preparing to depart, we were honored with McLovin as a parting gift.
What to do wiht a chicken? Tie its legs and carry it home on a motorcycle, of course. That said and done, there was no one to advise us what to do with it once we got home. After convincing Shannon that its legs should remain tied (or else we would have to get the mosquito net again to catch it in the morning), she couldnt help but feel sorry for the poor fella, and cradled him in her arms, and made a comfy nest in the corner with my towel. After singing him a lullaby (ok maybe we didnt go that far), we went to bed. At 5:45 the next morning a loud and startling cock-a-doodle-doo! woke us up.
Stay tuned for the chigger chronicles....!
The other night was particularly bad- worrying the rat would chew through our tupperware and eat our lunch, we got up several times during the night to hide our food and rearrange traps. We were very rudely awoken around 5:45 on our day off as the huge rat somehow made it into our room, and snuggled up in bed with Shannon. This uninvited bedmate crawled across her sleeping bag 3 times!!! three strikes, and you're out- we HAD to catch it.
We ran around with a broom, a bucket, and complete darkness for 45 minutes before Shannon had the bright idea to throw a mosquito net over it- which actually worked! Once caught though, neither of us would dare to kill it, so we left it in a bucket with abrick and a note on the lid, hoping some brave soul would dispose of the rat in our absence as we walked to the market at Kinyara. It turns out, some curious kid took the lid off and the rat escaped! hopefully it wont come back, but if it does, it will have McLovin to contend with.
McLovin is a chicken currently nestled among my dirty towels in the corner of the dining room. Here's the explanation: My friend Prossy, who works at the internet cafe, invited us to dinner at her home. We flipped through several photo albums of her family (Mother is 47, Prossy is the oldest of 8 children at 26, and the youngest is 15)- so there were a lot of pictures to look at. We then enjoyed a traditional Ugandan meal of cassava bread (a firm but sticky ball of dough), matoke (bananas prepared into a salty, sliceable block), meat with g-nut sauce (like soupy peanut butter), greens, and watermelon for dessert. As we were preparing to depart, we were honored with McLovin as a parting gift.
What to do wiht a chicken? Tie its legs and carry it home on a motorcycle, of course. That said and done, there was no one to advise us what to do with it once we got home. After convincing Shannon that its legs should remain tied (or else we would have to get the mosquito net again to catch it in the morning), she couldnt help but feel sorry for the poor fella, and cradled him in her arms, and made a comfy nest in the corner with my towel. After singing him a lullaby (ok maybe we didnt go that far), we went to bed. At 5:45 the next morning a loud and startling cock-a-doodle-doo! woke us up.
Stay tuned for the chigger chronicles....!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Another Update, plus photos!
Osibirota!
Life in Kasokwa has ben easy recently, the chimps have been eating the
fruit of the antiaris trees for the past three weeks. Their daily
movements were very predictable- we often found thm feeding in the
same tree each morning, and if they happened to move on, we could know
exactly which tree was their next destination (there are very few
trees, much less fruiting ones, inthis highly disturbed habitat). This
makes observation easer, but it is unfortunate for the chimps.
Now that almost all the fruit has ben eaten, the chimps are beginning
to fall back on their usual diet of sugar cane. One day, they spent
approximately 26 minutes in the antiaris tree beforeclimbing down, and
we did not see or hear them for the rest of the day. That evening, we
went to look again, and found a field of sugar cane recently raided.
We saw chimps moving in the thcket adjacent to the field, and heard
them chomping and enjoying the sugar.
The following day, they spent a short time in the tree before climbing
down again. We spent a good part of theafternoon listening to their
activity on the ground. The undergrowth is thick, so even when we know
the chimps are present, visual observation is impossible. This is the
frustrating part of primatology. We couldhear teeth clacking, an
indication of males grooming each other. They make this sound to
notify their grooming partner thatthey hve found an removed some
parasite from the oher's fur.
We knew the chimps must be getting hungry and restless (we were too!
Shannon and I discussed all the foods we missed from home, and as
Shannon finished her lunch, se sarcastically marveled,
"Mmmm....rice."). Butit was already past 4pm, our usual finish time,
and so we left he forest.
Disappointed that we had not seen much of the chimps that day, we
decided to linger at the edge, whre the fores meets the sugar cane
field, in hopes of catching them raiding as they had done the previous
evening. Many local villagers walked y to inquire about our work with
the chimps, and it wasnt before long that a "guard" posted himself in
front of he cane field. At this point, we knew the situation had
become a standoff- chimps vs guard, and that t was hopeless for us to
wait any longer. As long as we waited, so would the guard, and we
wouldnt see the chimps partakein their evening meal.
We departed on our way home, and w were surprised to see just around
thecorner, Sukari at the top of a sparsely fruiting tree, literally at
the edge of the road. Any leaves that dropped landed at the feet of
several observers. He was very hungry, desperate even- to expose
himself like that. Many people stood ponting and commenting as Sukari
uttered a series of suppressed food grunts coupled with nervous "huu"
sounds.
The crowd started growing as more bicycles stopped, herders arrived
with cattle, and final as the afterschool group of children came
running and shoutig down the hill. All the commotion certainly
fightened Sukari, who climbed down in a hurry. A teenage boy, no shirt
or shoes, tried to follow him into the forest out of curiosity, but
this would definitely drive the chimps further in. Would they go
hungry tonight?
http://community.webshots.com/album/562691524gkeZDf?vhost=community
-Katie
Life in Kasokwa has ben easy recently, the chimps have been eating the
fruit of the antiaris trees for the past three weeks. Their daily
movements were very predictable- we often found thm feeding in the
same tree each morning, and if they happened to move on, we could know
exactly which tree was their next destination (there are very few
trees, much less fruiting ones, inthis highly disturbed habitat). This
makes observation easer, but it is unfortunate for the chimps.
Now that almost all the fruit has ben eaten, the chimps are beginning
to fall back on their usual diet of sugar cane. One day, they spent
approximately 26 minutes in the antiaris tree beforeclimbing down, and
we did not see or hear them for the rest of the day. That evening, we
went to look again, and found a field of sugar cane recently raided.
We saw chimps moving in the thcket adjacent to the field, and heard
them chomping and enjoying the sugar.
The following day, they spent a short time in the tree before climbing
down again. We spent a good part of theafternoon listening to their
activity on the ground. The undergrowth is thick, so even when we know
the chimps are present, visual observation is impossible. This is the
frustrating part of primatology. We couldhear teeth clacking, an
indication of males grooming each other. They make this sound to
notify their grooming partner thatthey hve found an removed some
parasite from the oher's fur.
We knew the chimps must be getting hungry and restless (we were too!
Shannon and I discussed all the foods we missed from home, and as
Shannon finished her lunch, se sarcastically marveled,
"Mmmm....rice."). Butit was already past 4pm, our usual finish time,
and so we left he forest.
Disappointed that we had not seen much of the chimps that day, we
decided to linger at the edge, whre the fores meets the sugar cane
field, in hopes of catching them raiding as they had done the previous
evening. Many local villagers walked y to inquire about our work with
the chimps, and it wasnt before long that a "guard" posted himself in
front of he cane field. At this point, we knew the situation had
become a standoff- chimps vs guard, and that t was hopeless for us to
wait any longer. As long as we waited, so would the guard, and we
wouldnt see the chimps partakein their evening meal.
We departed on our way home, and w were surprised to see just around
thecorner, Sukari at the top of a sparsely fruiting tree, literally at
the edge of the road. Any leaves that dropped landed at the feet of
several observers. He was very hungry, desperate even- to expose
himself like that. Many people stood ponting and commenting as Sukari
uttered a series of suppressed food grunts coupled with nervous "huu"
sounds.
The crowd started growing as more bicycles stopped, herders arrived
with cattle, and final as the afterschool group of children came
running and shoutig down the hill. All the commotion certainly
fightened Sukari, who climbed down in a hurry. A teenage boy, no shirt
or shoes, tried to follow him into the forest out of curiosity, but
this would definitely drive the chimps further in. Would they go
hungry tonight?
http://community.webshots.com
-Katie
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
New Kid on the Block
For those of you who have not been keeping up to date with my blog (shame!), I am the newest resident of the village of Kibwona, following a long line of other muzungus. I have moved from Busingiro to Kibwona, and trek into the Kasokwa forest fragment each morning to observe the 14 chimpanzees that live here.
Village life is interesting- I always have an entourage of kids following, poking, and prodding me, and inspecting the contents of my backpack. Here’s a rundown of the usual crowd:
Edigar- the two year old son of our cook, Prossy. Spoiled and entitled. Never naps, always cranky during dinner. But the way his face lights up every afternoon as he runs towards me when I get home from the forest makes up for it.
Moses, aka “Where are your pants?”- this quiet klepto’s typical garb is a tweety bird vest, and that’s all folks.
Jossy- cute little girl whose natural rhythm is a dance.
Dennis- parents are on extended vacation in Kampala (euphemism: they died of AIDS). Has weeping sores all over body; cant help but feel sorry and give him a hug.
Kelvin- quiet girl who stutters, and tags along with the older kids
Patrick, aka “the smart one”- older boy, maybe 9, who understands my miming and translates the rules to hide and seek.
Helen- older girl, maybe 8, held back in school for sucking her thumb. Only removes it to slap others.
I’m also making friends my own age- Lucky, the 22 year old girlfriend of my 34 year old- married with two kids- field assistant Joseph. This situation is completely normal and in fact Lucky and the wife are good friends. And Prossy, a girl working at the internet café who I see often; she pulled me aside and asked in all seriousness if I would be her friend, she seemed as nervous as if she were proposing! But “making friendship” is a big deal, and you want to be able to bring friends home to mother.
You might think that hiring a cook would reduce your worries, but in fact it is sometimes stressful communicating your order. Everything has tomatoes, and we average a half dozen a day, even if we are only having rice and beans. I dont know where they all go! Also, the food pyramid here is drastically different. Meals consist of a carb-rich, flavorless base, such as cassava, posho (maize flour and water), rice, irish (teeny potatoes), chapatti (like a greasy tortilla) or muzungu pasta. It is apparently normal to eat, though I wont allow, two of these in the same meal. The base is served with a "sauce" or "soup"- any combo of cooked veggies resembling pasta sauce. anything uncooked is "salad," even if it is only an avocado, or only a cucumber.
The other day in Masindi town, I tried to order a vegetable curry entree, and the waitress explained I had to also order something else because what I wanted was "a small cup of sauce;" So I'm imagining it will be like ketchup, and order a side of potatoes. Of course the curry was this huge bowl of delicious spicy veggies, and then I had a plate of bland potatoes I didnt know what to do with. Perhaps she was new, but I suspect the traditional meal plan requiring a "base" forced her to advise me against only curried veggies.
And of course what would an update be without more on the chimps?! We had a busy week documenting the disturbances to the forest- 3 fires, 1 person chopping wood, and 1 snare. Despite this, the chimps have been relaxing in the same tree all week, enjoying ripe antiaris fruit. A quick intro to some of the chimps:
Koojo- "the spy" always notices our arrival on the scene and watches us closely for several minutes before returning to his own activity.
His younger brother Elvis is independent and playful, with ears as big as his personality.
Their mother, Kemoso, is easy to identify by her missing leg. She often climbs up trees using her two hands, one foot, and her knee.
Kangeye was miss popular for a week due to her large estrous swelling.
her son Makosa is a steadfast playmate to Ajabu, and it's hard to tell the two apart when they are wrestling in the treetops!
Kaija Alice is a pudgy, squinty-eyed female, older sister to Ajabu. Their mother Kakono is missing a hand, so when she scratches those places she cant reach with her remaining hand, she contorts into the strangest positions!
Ruhara is a balding female with a newborn infant. Whoever determines the infant's gender gets to name the baby. the competition is fierce!! Her older son, Ritch, was recently caught in a snare, and it is still tightly wrapped around his hand.
The adult males include Abooki, Sukari, and Komuntu. It is their job to raid the sugar cane and bring the spoils home to the women.
I have FINALLY posted some pictures onto my website so you can get to know these personalities from afar, and more are on the way!! (sorry internet is so slow!!):
http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg223/MsKatieHall/UGANDA/
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Darn!
I was all excited to try uploading pictures again, I thought I might have a way around the large file size. But I forgot my darn USB cable that connects the photos on the memory card to the computer! I promise I will post pictures next time, and I will send out a mass email with the link.
In other news, feeling better from my bout with giardia, or at least thats what i think it was. The chimps have been very stationery lateley, spending all day in a single fruiting tree, several days in a row. that makes things easier for us researchers! just sit back and watch the day unfold.
sorry not much excitement this time around-be patient for pics, it may be another week before Im in town.
In other news, feeling better from my bout with giardia, or at least thats what i think it was. The chimps have been very stationery lateley, spending all day in a single fruiting tree, several days in a row. that makes things easier for us researchers! just sit back and watch the day unfold.
sorry not much excitement this time around-be patient for pics, it may be another week before Im in town.
Monday, February 25, 2008
A lesson in Sharing
So the other day I was baking cookies to celebrate my admission to the PhD program at he University of St Andrews (!!!) and an old woman stopped by to chat with Prossy (our cook- i was showing her a favorite muzungu recipe- chocolate chip!). This old woman kept eyeing me and the plate of cookies curiously. to be polite, i offered her one to try. She smiled and took the plate, and began eating one. Prossy whispered to me, "are you sure you want to give her all of those?"
ME:"of course not, Im taking these to the meeting at Sonso tomorrow, I just offered her one."
PROSSY: "she thinks you are giving her the whole plate."
ME: "can we ask for it back? i didnt know..."
Prossy asks the woman to return the plate of cookies, and after swallowing her third one, she responds "I am still needing it."
This old woman ate the entire plate of cookies that I had toiled over a charcoal fire for nearly two hours to create in merely two minutes!! She of course had never eaten cookies before, and certainly acted that way.
After the woman left, Prossy suggested that in the future, if i want to share, I should choose the smallest single item and hand it to the person, meanwhile hiding the rest of the stash.
Since when are either of these behaviors "sharing"????
ME:"of course not, Im taking these to the meeting at Sonso tomorrow, I just offered her one."
PROSSY: "she thinks you are giving her the whole plate."
ME: "can we ask for it back? i didnt know..."
Prossy asks the woman to return the plate of cookies, and after swallowing her third one, she responds "I am still needing it."
This old woman ate the entire plate of cookies that I had toiled over a charcoal fire for nearly two hours to create in merely two minutes!! She of course had never eaten cookies before, and certainly acted that way.
After the woman left, Prossy suggested that in the future, if i want to share, I should choose the smallest single item and hand it to the person, meanwhile hiding the rest of the stash.
Since when are either of these behaviors "sharing"????
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Surprise!
Unexpected surprises come to those who wait. During (yet another) hot afternoon of chimp searching, we correctly guessed the chimps' direction of travel and quickly took a shortcut to the crossroads (yes, there is a road bisecting the forest) to wait. I sat as bikes rolled down the hill, women collected water from the stream, and the heat grew more intense. For a brief moment, there was silence and I found myself alone at this busy intersection of wildlife and humanity. My solitude did not last long, as I heard rustling in the undergrowth.
Abooki popped his head out to check the scene, and was visibly startled to see me approximately 25 feet away on the hillside. (SIDE NOTE: Abooki is an adult male who I suspect is alpha, or on his way up. According to field guide Joseph, Komuntu and Sukari share alpha position, but I have reason to believe otherwise. Aside from being first in line in group travel, I have seen only Abooki copulate with the one female in estrous, Kangeye. All other females have nursing infants, so this may be the males' one chance to compete for copulation for several more years, assuming she conceives this month. No other males have been seen to attempt copulation with Kangeye, and it is often the case that powerful alpha can have sole "mating rights" with estrous females).
Ok back to the story- I'm on the road as the chimps are preparing to cross from one side of the forest to the other. Abooki has seen me and lays low. Kemoso, a female with infant Elvis, and adult male Sukari also check me out. We are each watching, anticipating the others' next move. Since I am alone and greatly outnumbered (14 to 1), and since I want to gain their trust, I do my best "apprehensive chimp" impersonation. I slightly shift my weight and loudly scratch my arm. Luckily I am wearing long black sleeves so the sound is audible to them. I divert my gaze towards my lap, and clear my throat in a submissive pant-grunt manner. I peek up to gauge their reaction. Not quite convinced, so I continue to scratch loudly. Abooki and Kemoso step out onto the road.
At this point, I cant help but look at them closely to learn to identify their unique features . All the adult males, plus Kemoso carrying Elvis, pass in front of me, and the other females with infants pass behind me. I'm surrounded for an instant by these now silent stewards of the forest, the victims of human encroachment. I notice Kemoso is missing her entire left leg, but still hobbles across the road with infant in tow. Kakono carries Ajabu, and is careful not to touch the stump of her missing hand to the ground. Once they have passed, I try ot count them for a group composition census before they disappear into the green. I count and recount 13. Is that everyone? Suddenly the silence is broken by Ritch, still on the other side, who whimpers and scrambles across the road to catch up. The wire snare around his wrist and fingers glitters in the afternoon sunlight; he was trailing behind because of the limp this recent (3 weeks) injury causes. Vets have tried unsuccessfully to dart him to remove the snare- otherwise his hand will become infected, gangrenous, and fall off, if not kill him from septicemia. Now he is suffering, but hopefully soon he will be yet another survivor in the blighted Kasokwa community. Im glad my impression was good enough to convince them it was safe to cross so close to me.
Abooki popped his head out to check the scene, and was visibly startled to see me approximately 25 feet away on the hillside. (SIDE NOTE: Abooki is an adult male who I suspect is alpha, or on his way up. According to field guide Joseph, Komuntu and Sukari share alpha position, but I have reason to believe otherwise. Aside from being first in line in group travel, I have seen only Abooki copulate with the one female in estrous, Kangeye. All other females have nursing infants, so this may be the males' one chance to compete for copulation for several more years, assuming she conceives this month. No other males have been seen to attempt copulation with Kangeye, and it is often the case that powerful alpha can have sole "mating rights" with estrous females).
Ok back to the story- I'm on the road as the chimps are preparing to cross from one side of the forest to the other. Abooki has seen me and lays low. Kemoso, a female with infant Elvis, and adult male Sukari also check me out. We are each watching, anticipating the others' next move. Since I am alone and greatly outnumbered (14 to 1), and since I want to gain their trust, I do my best "apprehensive chimp" impersonation. I slightly shift my weight and loudly scratch my arm. Luckily I am wearing long black sleeves so the sound is audible to them. I divert my gaze towards my lap, and clear my throat in a submissive pant-grunt manner. I peek up to gauge their reaction. Not quite convinced, so I continue to scratch loudly. Abooki and Kemoso step out onto the road.
At this point, I cant help but look at them closely to learn to identify their unique features . All the adult males, plus Kemoso carrying Elvis, pass in front of me, and the other females with infants pass behind me. I'm surrounded for an instant by these now silent stewards of the forest, the victims of human encroachment. I notice Kemoso is missing her entire left leg, but still hobbles across the road with infant in tow. Kakono carries Ajabu, and is careful not to touch the stump of her missing hand to the ground. Once they have passed, I try ot count them for a group composition census before they disappear into the green. I count and recount 13. Is that everyone? Suddenly the silence is broken by Ritch, still on the other side, who whimpers and scrambles across the road to catch up. The wire snare around his wrist and fingers glitters in the afternoon sunlight; he was trailing behind because of the limp this recent (3 weeks) injury causes. Vets have tried unsuccessfully to dart him to remove the snare- otherwise his hand will become infected, gangrenous, and fall off, if not kill him from septicemia. Now he is suffering, but hopefully soon he will be yet another survivor in the blighted Kasokwa community. Im glad my impression was good enough to convince them it was safe to cross so close to me.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Little Village
Osibirota!
Since my last update, I have moved to the village of Kibwona to study the chimps of the Kasokwa forest fragment, and have begun to learn the local language, Kinyoro. Despite the alliteration of the letter K, no one can correctly pronounce Katie, so instead I have been dubbed "Abuoli" (humble).
I live in a very nice house with a dining room, pantry, shower room, two bedrooms, 2 dogs, 2 goats, 5 pigs, countless hens with chicks, and a constant flock of children following me. The livestock and kids are free to roam the village, so I'm not sure which, if any, of the aforementioned creatures belong to this house. There is one exception- we have a hired cook, Prossy, and her playful son Edigar is a constant companion. We are all surviving his "terrible two's" tantrums, but when he is in a good mood I hear him bragging to his friends about me (based on the repetition of the word "muzungu").
I have been ferried around town to sign "visitor logs" of the important figures in the village, including the Chairman and the principal of the college (only 6 students- I guess all the other eligible kids form my entourage). The kids are always busy poking at my fingernails (apply pressure and they turn from pink to white), pulling my hair, and pressing buttons on my wristwatch. I'm still working on engaging them in other activities, but "down by the banks" isn't really catching on.
On the chimp side of life, the Kasokwa forest fragment is extremely different from my previous post at Busingiro. It is a very small fragment (73 hectares), supporting only 13 chimpanzees. The area is heavily logged for domestic use, the stream serves as a local well/cattle watering hole/swimming pool, and ash from nearby burning sugar cane fields regularly rains on the forest flora. It is the perfect site to study human impact on chimpanzee health and wellbeing. Furthermore, many chimps suffer from missing fingers or even entire hands/feet from snare injuries; snares are set to catch smaller mammals but given that trees are few and far between, these chimps spend a lot of time on the ground.
I have been lucky enough to take some great photos, I will try to upload as many as possible, but the slow internet connection coupled with large file size means I may only be able to post a few of the best. Please find the link in my first blog posting.
Orale kurungi,
Katie (Abuoli)
Since my last update, I have moved to the village of Kibwona to study the chimps of the Kasokwa forest fragment, and have begun to learn the local language, Kinyoro. Despite the alliteration of the letter K, no one can correctly pronounce Katie, so instead I have been dubbed "Abuoli" (humble).
I live in a very nice house with a dining room, pantry, shower room, two bedrooms, 2 dogs, 2 goats, 5 pigs, countless hens with chicks, and a constant flock of children following me. The livestock and kids are free to roam the village, so I'm not sure which, if any, of the aforementioned creatures belong to this house. There is one exception- we have a hired cook, Prossy, and her playful son Edigar is a constant companion. We are all surviving his "terrible two's" tantrums, but when he is in a good mood I hear him bragging to his friends about me (based on the repetition of the word "muzungu").
I have been ferried around town to sign "visitor logs" of the important figures in the village, including the Chairman and the principal of the college (only 6 students- I guess all the other eligible kids form my entourage). The kids are always busy poking at my fingernails (apply pressure and they turn from pink to white), pulling my hair, and pressing buttons on my wristwatch. I'm still working on engaging them in other activities, but "down by the banks" isn't really catching on.
On the chimp side of life, the Kasokwa forest fragment is extremely different from my previous post at Busingiro. It is a very small fragment (73 hectares), supporting only 13 chimpanzees. The area is heavily logged for domestic use, the stream serves as a local well/cattle watering hole/swimming pool, and ash from nearby burning sugar cane fields regularly rains on the forest flora. It is the perfect site to study human impact on chimpanzee health and wellbeing. Furthermore, many chimps suffer from missing fingers or even entire hands/feet from snare injuries; snares are set to catch smaller mammals but given that trees are few and far between, these chimps spend a lot of time on the ground.
I have been lucky enough to take some great photos, I will try to upload as many as possible, but the slow internet connection coupled with large file size means I may only be able to post a few of the best. Please find the link in my first blog posting.
Orale kurungi,
Katie (Abuoli)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Back to Basics in Busingiro
Habari! Muzuri!
Careening down a dusty dirt road to Busingiro, I notice several dark faces emerge through the red clouds, and though I cannot hear their shouts over the rattle of the truck, I see their lips form a word I have come to know all too well: muzungu. Deriving from a swahili verb "to go in circles," muzungu refers to white people and their frantic pace of life. Everywhere I turn, children run and wave with both hands, teenage girls blush and feign disinterest (until I have passed, then they, too, run to tell friends), and men engrossed in matatu, a card game like UNO played at lightning speed, look and stare in disbelief. So this is what it's like to be a celebrity. Or a circus freak.
The people here in Busingiro, a village 40 km from the nearest town with electricity and running water, are very friendly, often engaging me and my roommate Shannon in curious conversation.
"Where do you come from?"
California always results in blank stares, so I always say "America."
"Ah yes, America. You are welcome. How do you find Uganda?"
After the standard explanation of my provenance, many are curious to know what crops I grow in America, what season they are planted, and how long before harvest. These questions being difficult to answer, are easily evaded by returning the same questions. Millett, cassava, beans, matoke (small green bananas), pawpaw, and jackfruit are the staples gracing everyone's fields here. Then comes the question of my reason for staying in Busingiro.
"I am doing chimpanzee research in the forest."
Most people use resources from the forest- such as illegally logged wooden poles- to build their mud and thatch houses, so needless to say, they are wary and suspicious of my involvement with the corrupt NFA, the National Forestry Authority. When I assure them my interest is solely in the chimps, they still demand to know who pays me for my work, or at least who will compensate me for my expenses upon return to America. The concept of volunteering is perhaps more bewildering to some than the fact that they have just encountered a muzungu in Busingiro!!
Despite the fishbowl effect, I truly am enjoying my volunteer work in Uganda. The chimpanzees at Busingiro are not well habituated, so many days are spent following the sound of pant hoots without a sighting. Many days are silent. Though the days we have seen the chimps were exceptional!! I have been very fortunate to witness a rare colobus monkey hunt. 2 adult male chimps, presumably the alpha male and his wingman, trapped a black and white colobus monkey in a bare tree (much easier to see without foliage), and flung the monkey out of the tree with vigor. Since we did not hear any chimps "cheering" below, we assumed the hunt was a failure. We continued following the chimps' path and quickly realized the hunting success- we came upon a clearing littered with blood, tufts of fur, a piece of cranium, and several bones. How exciting!
After our usual 15 km hike through the forest, we head home for a "shower" (aka bucket of rainwater), discussions over what to cook for dinner, considering what will go moldy the soonest and what will be good for 8 more days before our trip to the market, and then we are finally lulled to sleep by the sweet serenade of tree hyraxes (imagine a young girl screaming bloody murder every three seconds all night long).
Other recent highlights in Uganda include a trip to Murchison Falls national park, where we camped at the top of the forceful falls- the narrowest point along the nile before it empties into lake Albert. We saw hundreds of hippos, several elephants and giraffes, abundant bird species (sorry im not much of an ornithologist), Uganda kob, bushbuck, oribis, and even a lion and two cubs stalking warthog prey. Of course I cant leave out the more exciting moment of a hot shower with running water at Kinyara on my day off!! It was the first time I felt clean...I should go back every two weeks :)
Today I am sadly moving away from this farmtown village of Busingiro to an actual house in Kasokwa, about 35 minutes away. Though I am excited to see chimps more reliably, so I will have more stories soon!
-Katie Hall
Careening down a dusty dirt road to Busingiro, I notice several dark faces emerge through the red clouds, and though I cannot hear their shouts over the rattle of the truck, I see their lips form a word I have come to know all too well: muzungu. Deriving from a swahili verb "to go in circles," muzungu refers to white people and their frantic pace of life. Everywhere I turn, children run and wave with both hands, teenage girls blush and feign disinterest (until I have passed, then they, too, run to tell friends), and men engrossed in matatu, a card game like UNO played at lightning speed, look and stare in disbelief. So this is what it's like to be a celebrity. Or a circus freak.
The people here in Busingiro, a village 40 km from the nearest town with electricity and running water, are very friendly, often engaging me and my roommate Shannon in curious conversation.
"Where do you come from?"
California always results in blank stares, so I always say "America."
"Ah yes, America. You are welcome. How do you find Uganda?"
After the standard explanation of my provenance, many are curious to know what crops I grow in America, what season they are planted, and how long before harvest. These questions being difficult to answer, are easily evaded by returning the same questions. Millett, cassava, beans, matoke (small green bananas), pawpaw, and jackfruit are the staples gracing everyone's fields here. Then comes the question of my reason for staying in Busingiro.
"I am doing chimpanzee research in the forest."
Most people use resources from the forest- such as illegally logged wooden poles- to build their mud and thatch houses, so needless to say, they are wary and suspicious of my involvement with the corrupt NFA, the National Forestry Authority. When I assure them my interest is solely in the chimps, they still demand to know who pays me for my work, or at least who will compensate me for my expenses upon return to America. The concept of volunteering is perhaps more bewildering to some than the fact that they have just encountered a muzungu in Busingiro!!
Despite the fishbowl effect, I truly am enjoying my volunteer work in Uganda. The chimpanzees at Busingiro are not well habituated, so many days are spent following the sound of pant hoots without a sighting. Many days are silent. Though the days we have seen the chimps were exceptional!! I have been very fortunate to witness a rare colobus monkey hunt. 2 adult male chimps, presumably the alpha male and his wingman, trapped a black and white colobus monkey in a bare tree (much easier to see without foliage), and flung the monkey out of the tree with vigor. Since we did not hear any chimps "cheering" below, we assumed the hunt was a failure. We continued following the chimps' path and quickly realized the hunting success- we came upon a clearing littered with blood, tufts of fur, a piece of cranium, and several bones. How exciting!
After our usual 15 km hike through the forest, we head home for a "shower" (aka bucket of rainwater), discussions over what to cook for dinner, considering what will go moldy the soonest and what will be good for 8 more days before our trip to the market, and then we are finally lulled to sleep by the sweet serenade of tree hyraxes (imagine a young girl screaming bloody murder every three seconds all night long).
Other recent highlights in Uganda include a trip to Murchison Falls national park, where we camped at the top of the forceful falls- the narrowest point along the nile before it empties into lake Albert. We saw hundreds of hippos, several elephants and giraffes, abundant bird species (sorry im not much of an ornithologist), Uganda kob, bushbuck, oribis, and even a lion and two cubs stalking warthog prey. Of course I cant leave out the more exciting moment of a hot shower with running water at Kinyara on my day off!! It was the first time I felt clean...I should go back every two weeks :)
Today I am sadly moving away from this farmtown village of Busingiro to an actual house in Kasokwa, about 35 minutes away. Though I am excited to see chimps more reliably, so I will have more stories soon!
-Katie Hall
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Murchison Falls National Park
ts 40 degrees celsius here, i dont know what that converts to, but its HOT! anyway, just got back from murchison falls national park, where the nile is at the narrowest point and shoots forcefully through this great waterfall. the victoria nile empties into lake albert (can see the congo on the other side) and then continues into the albert nile. We took a boat trip up to the falls, and saw hundreds of hippos, huge crocs, several bird species (though im not much of a birder, so all i can remember is the kingfisher, honeyeater, and fish eagle), and two elephants!! later that day we went on a game drive through the park and saw more elephants, some giraffe, bushbucks, water buffaloes, uganda kob, some other antelope-like creatures with different names, and the finale was watching a lioness stalk her warthog prey (but no catch). this morning driving out of the park we saw some cubs, but mama must have been hunting again.
in other news, im heading back to busingiro, but only for a few days before moving on to kasokwa, my intended destination for chimp research. there were problems with scheduling and training, etc, but by the end of the week i should be in kasokwa. i am looking forward to being trained to identify the individuals there, as sightings are few and far between in busingiro, despite the AMAZING hunt we saw last week.
in other news, im heading back to busingiro, but only for a few days before moving on to kasokwa, my intended destination for chimp research. there were problems with scheduling and training, etc, but by the end of the week i should be in kasokwa. i am looking forward to being trained to identify the individuals there, as sightings are few and far between in busingiro, despite the AMAZING hunt we saw last week.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
THE HUNT
Today is my first access to email and electricity in 8 days. we rode 40 km first on the back of a truck and then 7 of us squeezed into a taxi. so access to communication is limited. since i can only charge cell phone once every 8 days, i will only have it turned on btw 630 and 8 pm local time in Uganda. it also seems to be teh case that my phone does not receive messages when it is off, in case you have tried (i have no way of knowing). internet is slow, approx 9 minutes to open gmail site.
back at camp, we have 2 tents and a banda- i prefer the banda which is a round hut with thatch roof. we have a camping stove for cooking, and the staff are very nice and fill our jerry cans with water. im happy the bugs aerent as bad as expected, nor the heat. a shower consists of using about 2 inches of water in a bucket, so im pretty dirty! (ps thanks jenny for the gingerbread man sponge- cant get clean without it!!)
saw my first chimp in busingiro on sunday!! he climbed up a tree and stared at us for about an hour. next day- no chimps. they are not habituated at all, and no individuals can be recognized. soon ill be in kasokwa where the forest is a fragment and the chimps only have 73 hectares so tey are easier to find and ID. then on tuesday we saw something amazing- chimps hunting b&W colobus monkeys!! the forest is heavily logged so there are many clearings. we had a great view of the tree where 4 colobus were (2 males, 1 fem, 1 juvenile). 2 male chimps climbed up, one blocked escape route, and one went after the monkeys. the male colobus and chimp fought for a few seconds then the chimp grabbed him and flung him out of the tree. we didnt hear chimps "cheering" below so we thought he got away, until we followed their trail and found blood, bits of cranium, tuft of fur, and little pieces of meat on the ground. it was so exciting- we all held our breath during hte hunt. the two volunteers training me and shannon had barely seen any chimps in the whole 3 months they have been here so they were just as amazed!!
ill be back to email maaaaybe on sunday when we return from our weekend trip to murchison falls, but if not, then count 8 more days.....
love, katie
back at camp, we have 2 tents and a banda- i prefer the banda which is a round hut with thatch roof. we have a camping stove for cooking, and the staff are very nice and fill our jerry cans with water. im happy the bugs aerent as bad as expected, nor the heat. a shower consists of using about 2 inches of water in a bucket, so im pretty dirty! (ps thanks jenny for the gingerbread man sponge- cant get clean without it!!)
saw my first chimp in busingiro on sunday!! he climbed up a tree and stared at us for about an hour. next day- no chimps. they are not habituated at all, and no individuals can be recognized. soon ill be in kasokwa where the forest is a fragment and the chimps only have 73 hectares so tey are easier to find and ID. then on tuesday we saw something amazing- chimps hunting b&W colobus monkeys!! the forest is heavily logged so there are many clearings. we had a great view of the tree where 4 colobus were (2 males, 1 fem, 1 juvenile). 2 male chimps climbed up, one blocked escape route, and one went after the monkeys. the male colobus and chimp fought for a few seconds then the chimp grabbed him and flung him out of the tree. we didnt hear chimps "cheering" below so we thought he got away, until we followed their trail and found blood, bits of cranium, tuft of fur, and little pieces of meat on the ground. it was so exciting- we all held our breath during hte hunt. the two volunteers training me and shannon had barely seen any chimps in the whole 3 months they have been here so they were just as amazed!!
ill be back to email maaaaybe on sunday when we return from our weekend trip to murchison falls, but if not, then count 8 more days.....
love, katie
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Up, Up, and Away!
Flight to Entebbe, Uganda: $2,204.22
Vaccines and medication for yellow fever, tetanus, rabies, meningitis, hepatitis, typhoid, tuberculosis, polio, and malaria (but not ebola): $1,179.00
Observing chimpanzees in the wild: PRICELESS
You may have heard of this inspirational woman and pioneer of primatology- Jane Goodall. She's so big now, she has an institute. If you are receiving this email from me, there is no doubt you have heard of her, and I am excited to announce that I will be working as a research assistant at (you guessed it) the Jane Goodall Institute in the Budongo Forest of Uganda for 3 months. Then I will be off exploring other areas of Africa for a few months.
I will be helping collect data for a PhD student's thesis project assessing chimpanzee stress response to human impact on the forest. Basically, humans cutting down trees, hunting animals, and otherwise disturbing the habitat stresses the chimps out; sustained levels of high stress can lead to lower immune function (you know how you always get sick during finals week...).
With lower immune function comes lower long-term survival, bad news for an endangered species! Considering conservation, the goal is to create a management plan to protect the chimps and educate the locals on the importance of conserving their dwindling resources.
And this won't be a luxury safari- far from it. No electricity, no running water. As for accommodations, I was told to bring a tent and sleeping bag. Nonetheless, I've never been so excited!
By now it should be fairly obvious that I will be away from all the modern conveniences of the internet, though I will try to make it to Masindi town (about 40 km from my tent) to check email and charge batteries every now and then. I will send out monthly updates of my whereabouts and adventures, and I will also try to write in my brand new blog ( http://mskatiehall.blogspot.com/ ). Also check out my photo page when you get a chance ( http://community.webshots.com/user/MsKatieHall )
I wish everyone an adventurous, eventful (and safe!) 2008.
-Katie Hall
PS If you do not want to receive emails, or if you want them sent to a different address, please let me know asap!
PPS I'm taking bets for the maximum number of bug bites I may have at any given moment
Vaccines and medication for yellow fever, tetanus, rabies, meningitis, hepatitis, typhoid, tuberculosis, polio, and malaria (but not ebola): $1,179.00
Observing chimpanzees in the wild: PRICELESS
You may have heard of this inspirational woman and pioneer of primatology- Jane Goodall. She's so big now, she has an institute. If you are receiving this email from me, there is no doubt you have heard of her, and I am excited to announce that I will be working as a research assistant at (you guessed it) the Jane Goodall Institute in the Budongo Forest of Uganda for 3 months. Then I will be off exploring other areas of Africa for a few months.
I will be helping collect data for a PhD student's thesis project assessing chimpanzee stress response to human impact on the forest. Basically, humans cutting down trees, hunting animals, and otherwise disturbing the habitat stresses the chimps out; sustained levels of high stress can lead to lower immune function (you know how you always get sick during finals week...).
With lower immune function comes lower long-term survival, bad news for an endangered species! Considering conservation, the goal is to create a management plan to protect the chimps and educate the locals on the importance of conserving their dwindling resources.
And this won't be a luxury safari- far from it. No electricity, no running water. As for accommodations, I was told to bring a tent and sleeping bag. Nonetheless, I've never been so excited!
By now it should be fairly obvious that I will be away from all the modern conveniences of the internet, though I will try to make it to Masindi town (about 40 km from my tent) to check email and charge batteries every now and then. I will send out monthly updates of my whereabouts and adventures, and I will also try to write in my brand new blog ( http://mskatiehall.blogspot
I wish everyone an adventurous, eventful (and safe!) 2008.
-Katie Hall
PS If you do not want to receive emails, or if you want them sent to a different address, please let me know asap!
PPS I'm taking bets for the maximum number of bug bites I may have at any given moment
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