To Kenya, and Back Again

            To all who don’t know me, my name is Lila and I’m the newest RA here at Serena camp! Two years ago I came to Kenya on a study abroad through the MSU Hyena Lab, and fell absolutely in love with the curious and enthusiastic spotted hyenas. And now, just two years later, I’m back to study all of their wonderful comings and goings. Here are just a few of my most recent favorite moments:

NSH, jealous of GOAT and WMEN's cuddles

CAMI and KRKN having the time of their lives playing

SHOT greatly enjoying investigating his own pastes

            But it’s not all fun and rainbows, let me tell you. I have been charged by elephants and buffalos, growled at by lions, and nearly been trapped in quite a few downpours. But the photos are spectacular.

            We have quite a few very busy dens here in the Mara Triangle, with even the least busy dens attracting quite a bit of attention from a few sub-adults. And even in South territory, by far our least busy territory, we’ve seen quite a bit of interesting activity, including a Happy Zebra female encroaching near the South and Happy Zebra border. And for all who don’t know, females don’t generally stray to the outskirts of a territory alone, so this was quite an interesting observation.

            Every day I learn more about the hyenas and fall only further in love with their wacky ways. Watching a cub zoom around a den site thwacking into each and every other hyena around is quite the spectacle. And only just yesterday I saw GOLI, a male sub-adult in Happy Zebra attempt to greet HWK, one of our moms at our most busy den, only to have HWK not even turn her head or possibly realize that GOLI was nearly on top of her. I have never laughed so hard at such a fruitless attempt at a male to say hello.

            I can’t wait for the year to continue and to keep learning about these wonderful hyenas, and I more hilarious photos!

Full Names: NSH (Diane Nash), GOAT (Sadie the goat), WMEN (Women's Health), CAMI (Cambrian), KRKN (The Kraken), SHOT (Slingshot), GOLI (Goliath Bird-Eating Spider), HWK (Hawk).