On the Expedition

Investigate why migratory zebras, giraffes, and wildebeest are declining in and around Tarangire National Park to develop strategies to conserve large mammal migrations throughout East Africa.

Working with experienced field team leaders, you will spend your days bumping along the dusty roads of Tarangire National Park and Manyara Ranch (dry season), or Simanjiro Plains (wet season), looking for zebras, giraffes, and wildebeest. In some locations, you will also do surveys on foot. Once a herd is found, you will note the location using GPS, record the number of adults and foals, and photograph each animal for identification. You'll also record the locations of kill sites and collect grass samples. Back at camp, you'll help download digital images, enter data, and match individual photographs of animals against a database of known animals. Your daily briefings will include short lectures on the ecology of the research site. In the evenings, you will have time to relax and enjoy the scenery at camp. On your recreational day, you might venture into town or visit open-air markets.

Meals and Accommodations

Volunteers will stay in a tented camp that has a kitchen, a communal dining area, sleeping quarters, solar-heated showers, and private toilets. Two volunteers will each share an upscale tent, outfitted with single beds, mosquito nets, chairs, and kerosene lighting. An experienced camp cook will prepare meals of local favorites and western-style meals, including meat stews, pastas, and sandwiches.

About the Research Area

Tarangire National Park, Manyara Ranch west of the park and the Simanjiro Plains east of the park contain some of the most spectacular scenery and large mammal assemblages in all of Africa. Tarangire National Park has more than 61 large mammal species (Newmark 1997) and 450 bird species (Birdlife International, 2005). During the dry season, large herds of wildebeest, zebra, impala, buffalo, and elephant congregate along the Tarangire Rive. Baobabs and flat-topped acacia dominate much of Tarangire National Park and provide a striking backdrop.

Manyara Ranch is located to 15 km to the west of Tarangire National Park and immediately to the east of Lake Manyara. The ranch, which is managed by the African Wildlife Foundation, is an important wet season dispersal site for wildebeest and zebra. From the ranch one has an excellent view of Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley Escarpment.

The Simanjro Plains east of Tarangire National Park is an area very rarely visited by tourists. Here in a wilderness setting large herds of wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, and ostrich graze on short-grass plains during the wet season. From the Simanjiro Plains one has a spectacular view of Mount Meru and many of other nearby volcanic peaks that rise from the surrounding plains.