Jambo from Natalie!

 Jambo! My name is Natalie. I am so excited to be here in Kenya. In just the first few days I have experienced so much: from a busy day in Nairobi, straight to seeing baboons and zebras on the drive to the Mara, and so many more animals in the Triangle. On my fourth night, I was able to witness and take some pictures of the amazing sight of the South Clan hyenas taking over a hippo carcass being eaten by lions. The matriarch SNUG taking the largest share of hippo ribs, perhaps guarded by an ally and unchallenged for her hearty meal.

SNUG, the matriarch of South Clan, with a full belly, eating the remaining meat off the hippo ribs, and STAR standing behind her. 

In May, I graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder where I majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. There, I enjoyed studying a variety of species and subjects, especially animal behavior. I am excited to continue researching and learning about behavioral ecology and the complex social systems of spotted hyenas while here in the Maasai Mara!

A variety of behaviors are displayed by the group of South Clan hyenas gathered to take the leftover hippo carcass from the lions. Hyenas come together when mobbing lions, as it takes roughly 4 adult hyenas to chase off a lioness and 7 adult hyenas to chase off an adult male lion. 

My hobbies include hiking, painting, and learning new things – Most recently being hyena behaviors, crocheting, and Kiswahili. Thanks to guests staying at camp, Elise, Brian, Josie, and Zev, I have had some amazing opportunities since arriving to learn more about the amazing place where I will be staying for the next year and the people who live here. On Tuesday, we visited a traditional Maasai village, where we saw the boma and traditional houses, and were invited to join in on the women’s dance. There I learned a few phrases of Maa (the Maasai language), such as “orkonoi” which means hyena!

The women’s dance at the Maasai village outside of the triangle.

Afterwards, I tried some phrases out with the guys at camp, my favorite being “sidai oleng inada” meaning the food is good which is the only way to describe Philimon’s cooking. Philimon, Stephen, and Moses run the Serena orkonoi camp and have made me feel safe and at home as soon as I arrived. I am so excited to be part of the MSU Mara Hyena Project and to learn and experience much more during my time here!