Field Report from Research Assistant, Granton Tumaini Honey Badger incidents have been so frustrating to the beehive fence farmers both in Mwambiti and Mwakoma villages. Our MSc student from Hunter College, Abi Johnson, published her results showing that cages when placed over a beehive can reduce the hive being attacked by a honey badger. This study by Abi helped the Elephants and Bees Project to secure a grant through the…

Blog by International Intern, Blaise Ebanietti I had the amazing opportunity to join both Dr. Lydia Tiller and Naya Raja on my first expedition to Tsavo West National Park! Our mission was to locate and monitor Save the Elephants collared elephants in the Tsavo Conservation Area. Last February, Save the Elephants collared 20 at risk elephants throughout a five-day operation. This project was a collaboration between Save the Elephants, Kenyan…

Blog by E&B Project School and Education Programs Officer, Kennedy Leneuyia Indigenous knowledge has been utilized across generations through story telling that include folk roles and myths. The insights shared have been vital in bringing transformation of perspectives among communities. As a result, societies across have been willing to appreciate both nature and endowed heritage therefore safeguarding the future of environment and wildlife. In turn, benefits have been realized in…

Report written by our International Intern: Christine Phelan Supplementary Reading:“Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania” by Dale Zimmerman Supplementary Listening:“Littlest Birds” by The Be Good Tanyas Early mornings at the Elephants & Bees Research Center are generally quiet save for the chatter of birds. They often wake me before my alarm signals the start of each day and the birds sing with gusto, as though to pull sunrise from deep…

Report written by Kenyan intern Brian Mwika Geographic Information Systems (also known as Geospatial Information Systems or GIS) are computer software and hardware systems that enable users to capture, store, analyze and manage spatially referenced data.   Conservation efforts have been prominent in mitigating the significant threats facing wildlife and enhancing species’ survival by using GIS knowledge. One method has been to utilize GIS to assess regions and areas occupied by…

Report written by Kenyan intern Ruth Chelimo When I finally secured an internship to work on the Elephants and Bees project, I couldn’t shut up about it at home. My dream of working with elephants was finally coming true. I had never seen an elephant up close before. My closest brush with elephants was on a drive home from the wilderness and our goal was to make it home alive…

Report written by Kenyan intern Benjamin Lago African elephant societies are arranged around family units. Each family unit is made up of around ten closely related females with their calves, and is led by an older female known as the matriarch. Separate family units bond to form kinship or bond groups. After puberty, male elephants tend to form alliances with other males. Elephants have a gestation period of nearly two…

Report written by Lemayian Kennedy, Schools and Education Program Officer Learning in a classroom for long periods of time proves difficult for most students at least occasionally. It becomes tedious when such lessons are only undertaken theoretically without practical sessions. Exposure compliments the ability of pupils to comprehend facts and easily grasp information that mostly tends to stick in their memories for ages. Coming very close to wild animals in…

Report written by international intern Alexa Piggott The ongoing threats to global biodiversity and arguably the complete loss of habitats untouched by man means that conservation must focus its attention on wildlife outside protected areas. In Kenya, much of the areas that African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are found are outside national parks. Therefore, the species is increasingly in competition and conflict with humans for natural resources. To conserve wildlife beyond…