Jambo from Gaurav

 
Jambo! My name is Gaurav Singh-Varma and I am the new research assistant for the Mara Hyena Project based at Serena Camp. I am ecstatic to be part of this study and do my part to add to the collection of long-term observational data, key in understanding the social complexities of one of the most interesting animals.

My research background lies at the intersection of human-wildlife conflict and animal behaviour, specifically understanding the relationship between animal movement and connectivity across hostile, disturbed landscapes. I completed my MSc in Zoology from the University of British Columbia in 2023 focusing on the effects of sustainable agricultural systems on animal movement and functional connectivity. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural expansion has been one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss over the last couple of decades, but there is evidence to suggest that traditional agricultural systems that incorporate semi-natural habitat and implement wildlife-friendly practices can offer win-win scenarios for both biodiversity and farmers. Yet how these same systems affect animal movement is virtually unknown. My work used a multi-species approach to understand how red deer, roe deer, and wild boar used High Nature Value farmlands (HNV) to move across European landscapes, utilizing a large GPS movement dataset combined with resource selection functions in my analysis. We found HNV usage depends on landscape context and varies with space and time, but in general, all three species use HNVs to some extent to navigate the agricultural landscape with red deer and wild boar preferring them over conventional, intensive agricultural fields. These results offer new evidence of the utility of wildlife-friendly farming as an effective management regime to safeguard biodiversity and farmers' livelihoods.

In the future, I am to understand how we can leverage knowledge of species behaviour to guide effective wildlife management in the face of human-wildlife conflict and climate change, taking advantage of innovations in social and cognitive sciences in tandem with biologging to do so. Hyenas provide a remarkable model for this work. Their complex social lives, adaptability and role as a sentinel species (i.e., trackers of ecosystem health), make them an ideal model for exploring how animal societies respond to environmental change and anthropogenic pressures. Plus, it has been an absolute dream of mine to conduct field work in savannah-plain grasslands and marvel at the vast amount of wildlife that call the Maasai Mara their home.

My journey had a festive start, where I celebrated my cousin's wedding with my family amidst the stunning backdrop of Lake Naivasha and its inhabitants. To this point, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks and a lone hippo were grazing in the background during the wedding ceremony, plus there were what seemed like an endless amount of vervet and, my favourites, black-and-white colobus monkeys running and swinging about in the trees. During this time, I was also afforded a sneak-peek of the Maasai Mara after a three-day safari with my family, where I saw four out of the "Big 5" game species (no rhinos unfortunately), and my first spotted hyenas. I later learned that some of these first individuals I saw were part of the Talek West clan, and had a communal den directly adjacent to the lodge my family and I stayed in. A serendipitous start to a wonderful year ahead. 

Since arriving at Serena Camp, there have been many moments that have captured my wonder, but my favourite moment thus far has to be the moment the matriarch of the South Clan, SNUG snagged a snack (try saying that three times in a row) for herself during morning observation. We are lucky enough to have the communal dens for both our North and South Clans, which has aided in my learning of individuals and behaviours, and provided the chance to witness fun social interactions. On this morning, all was relatively calm, as the sun had risen and most of the hyenas were sacked out or playing with each other. Out of the corner of our eyes, we suddenly see STAR, test chasing a Thompson's gazelle. KLSO and SNUG proceeded to join the hunt, with SNUG ultimately coming away with the reward of a baby Thompson's gazelle, limply dangling from the clutches of her jaw after one swift bite to the neck. Matriarchs, contrary to my own preconceptions, are not the most aggressive individuals in the clan since every member knows who she is and, more importantly, to not mess with her. This did not stop SNUG from aggressing on her own cubs, OZA and DOX, however, firmly flexing her motherly prowess while enjoying her small, but nonetheless nutritious meal. This instance show the duality of hyena mothers as both tranquil figures, but also fierce competitors, even with their own children, when the time comes. Again, a true showing of how socially complex hyena behaviours are, and behaviours I hope to see more of during my year in the Mara. 

We are taught to look at the ears and the degree to which hyenas use their head, mouth, and body to determine if they are aggressing, appeasing, or simply playing. The general "rule of thumb" is ears forward is aggression whereas ears back is appeasement. These signs are often how hyenas express their intentions and responses to other members of the clan which has indeed been very interesting to observe. But oddly enough, what I love most about hyenas are how expressive their eyes are. Hyenas are still negatively perceived in the public eye. Most people assume they are ugly creatures and omens intent on wreaking havoc to both humans and ecosystems. In my view though, hyenas are stunning individuals. STAR has captured my attention the most because she only has one working eye! Though she has experienced plenty of hardship in her life (being the second oldest individual currently in South Clan), evidenced by not only her one functional eye, but also multiple scars on both of her ears, she is typically always at the communal den either playing or keeping an ever-watchful eye over the cubs, almost as if she has the role of the grandma of the group (even though she is just the sister of SNUG). Plus, her non-functional eye is shaded a blueish gray tint to look like she has two differently coloured eyes. Each individual seems to carry their own history through their eyes - stories that, as a researcher, I am eager to uncover as I spend more time with each clan to deepen my understanding of why hyenas do what they do.

Jambo From Colin

Hey All,

My name is Colin Hadley, the new RA for Talek camp. My research background is largely within the scope of primatology, having worked with howler monkeys, capuchins, and spider monkeys in Costa Rica before making my first trip to Africa to work as a research assistant for the LuiKotale Bonobo Project. The first divergence I took from the order of primates was working alongside a furry field partner (I’m talking about a dog) to conduct wildlife surveys in the western United States. And now my desire to burgeon my experience has brought me, once more, to Africa. To the striking landscape of the Mara our hyenas call home.

My field partner Siska and I conducting carnivore surveys in Oregon

An adult female howler monkey with a juvenile that has uncommon gold coloration on much of its tail

Upon arriving in Nairobi, I was met with two unanticipated incidents. The first being a case of lost luggage that would delay our trip to Mara, the second being the contents of my first meal in Kenya. I’m not sure I ever would have guessed fried chicken and french fries. Regardless, the prolonged stay in Nairobi came to a close and, with all luggage in tow, we made the drive to the Mara. Naturally, I became overly excited at seeing each herbivore species for the first time. Sightings that would become unfathomably commonplace in the following days. But the truly special part was seeing the species I had come all this way for. The hyenas.

A short game drive the evening I arrived in the Mara would give me my first glimpses of a few of our Talek West hyenas and the weeks that followed have provided an array of interesting sightings. Beginning with locating the communal den for our smallest study clan in Talek: Cool Beans. 

A slow and uneventful drive through the tall grass in their territory was flipped on its head when we approached a lone tour car to find they had been sitting quietly and photographing the eight resident cubs not only new to myself, but also to the project. With Talek West and KCM denning outside of the reserve, locating a den was a huge find.

BENS standing over her cub FYR at the Cool Beans communal den

Two days later, an early morning drive in Talek West territory gave way to my first observation of a mobbing event. A crowd of our Talek West hyenas formed around two female lions laying in the grass. Tails bristling, the rambunctious group repeatedly darted in and out from the lions, with the excitement carrying over into numerous affiliative and aggressive behaviors amidst our hyenas. With nothing in the lions’ possession to hold the attention of the hyenas, the crowd eventually dissipated.

Lions in Talek West territory with a freshly killed warthog

Talek West hyenas mobbing a female lion

Lastly, my favorite moment thus far: a clan war between Talek West and KCM. We had just arrived in KCM territory in the morning and had just stopped at two KCM hyenas as we heard whooping begin a few hundred meters to the east. Our hyenas snapped their heads and stood up, and the walk east soon became a lope. More whoops as we followed our two hyenas. 4 KCM individuals eventually swelled to 18 as more Talek West hyenas were arriving a hundred meters to the east. The morning turned into charges, retreats, bedlams of aggressive behaviors, and tense stand offs. The thrilling hours of observation came to a close as Talek West eventually turned and retreated east into a lugga.

As I continue to familiarize myself with our hyenas and the data we collect, I am left in eager anticipation of the year ahead of me.

KCM charging the Talek West front early in the clan war

KCM subadult TIGR leading the charge toward Talek West

PION retreating to the Talek West front as their charge ends

KANI looking over her shoulder during a lull of the clan war

Jambo from Anne Ju

 

Jambo Jambo!

My name is Anne Ju, and I am the new research assistant based out of Serena camp! I grew up in Quebec (the French part of Canada). Since my arrival in January, I have been consistently amazed by all the beauty that the Maasai Mara Reserve has to offer. The one thing that stood out to me from the beginning is how closely we live to the wildlife in camp. As I am writing these lines, I can hear and see the baboons digging into the ground to look for caterpillars, and a warthog from the warthog family that regularly runs around camp munching on the grass (Figure 1).

Figure 1. A male warthog munching on the grass just beside our tent lab in Serena camp.

I graduated in last August from my MSc degree in ecology at the University of Sherbrooke. My MSc project focused on neonatal growth in Harbour seal pups (Figure 2), more specifically the growth patterns during the pre-weaning period. The harbour seal pups swim with the females directly after birth, which is very specific to this phocid species. Hence, the pups are expected to have a very large energy expenditure. My project aimed to characterize the growth patterns using nonlinear growth models, as well as investigating differences in growth between males and females, small and large pups, and between years. I also looked at external factors, such as environmental variables, to see if variation in their habitat had an influence on the growth patterns of pups. When I am not outside collecting data or on my laptop trying to model the data, you can find me running, hiking, reading, or sewing and embroidering.

Figure 2. A young harbour seal, the hat is glued to the fur to be able to identify clearly each individual.

I am very curious by nature and love to learn about new study systems, which is what brought me out here! The hyenas are just such interesting and unique animals. I am very excited to spend the next year studying their behavior and learning all the individual hyenas in each clan. So far, my days have been filled with photos and videos of hyenas as I am trying to recognize each of them by identifying their spot patterns and to differentiate their complex interactions. One fact about the hyenas that I learned and found very interesting is when a female gives birth to two cubs, the cubs will have to fight each other in order to determine who is going to be the dominant one. The dominant one will then be able to nurse in the preferred position (Figure 3), which gives him an advantage since it can profit from the female’s body heat. Sometimes, the dominant cub will also prohibit the non dominant one to nurse at all. This fight that occurs at the very beginning of the cub’s life will then have a significant impact on their overall ranking position in the clan.

Figure 3. A female hyena from our North clan (POL) who is nursing her cub (TEX). The position in which the cub is on the picture is called the nursing preferred position (npp), which is advantageous because the cub can profit from the female's body heat.

On my second day in the reserve, I was lucky enough to go out on the field and have my first observation session. We visited the North Clan which is closest to our camp. Seeing the hyenas really helped with the IDs. For example, NION (Figure 4) is one of the first female sub-adult hyenas from the North Clan that I met. Her left shoulder has a very distinctive spot pattern, which I found looks like a question mark. I can now always tell her apart from the others. Don’t you see it?

 

Figure 4. NION left side. We can see on her shoulder her very distinctive spot pattern that looks like a question mark

After a couple of dry days, we were able to find the communal den for our Happy Zebra clan, which was at their old location. We had to do a lot of off-roading to find the den and since the last time that the team went before I got here, the grass had grown so much that it was almost impossible to see clearly, let alone identify the hyenas (Figure 5). So this was surely an extra challenge.

Figure 5. A cub from the Happy Zebra clan hiding in the tall grass near the communal den.

Finally, we also went and tried to find the communal den of our South clan, which is the third and last clan that we monitor in Serena camp. Owing to the GPS collar previously installed on the matriarch named SNUG, we were able to find its general position. According to her GPS points, it looked like the den was close to where the previous one was. We tried to reach it using different off-road paths. We tried to go through rock fields, and then we tried to cross a lugga, which is what we call the wet stream-like areas here. After successfully crossing the lugga, we were still not able to lay eyes on the communal den as it is probably deep into the bushes. We will have to wait until the hyenas decide to change the position of their communal den.

 

Figure 6. An elephant herd grazing in the beautiful landscape of the Mara Triangle.

I am very excited to be part of the MHP team and get to know more about the hyenas. I am eager to learn everything from their complex social system to their numerous interindividual interactions. Being able to live in the Mara National Reserve is a real honour as this place is simply breathtaking. If you happen to be in the reserve and see a Michigan State University car, come and say hi!

 

Until next time!

Anne Ju