Happy World Giraffe Day!!
Our first night at Olduvai was a rough one. We set up camp in the windiest spot possible and all got an inch of sand in our tents. But we have all started the Olduvai skincare routine! It consists of covering yourself in a layer of dust and only showering every other day. So far, it has worked wonders, and I have never been more exfoliated.
The calm before the (sand) storm
We went to the Olbalbal basin, which is the floodplain at the end of Olduvai Gorge. There was a lot of water for this time of year, and we wanted to measure how taxon abundance and richness are impacted by proximity to water when tree density is held constant. To do this, we set up camera traps at various distances from the water, and we will collect them and analyze the data later in the week. I also got to meet the chief of the Olduvai Maasai region!
Setting up camera traps
Dr. Prendergast discovered the remains of an abandoned Maasai boma settlement, which are the temporary structures that pastoral communities inhabit. She estimated that it was 20 years old due to the dung pile decomposition into ash, the rings of rocks on the ground designating the previous existence of structures, and a relatively new cattle hoof bone.
On our way back from Olbalbal, we stumbled upon a group of over 60 giraffes! This is incredibly rare, as they usually travel in groups of 10 to 20. We’re pretty sure they were throwing a party for international giraffe day. There were babies and males fighting with their necks!!
Look at all those giraffes!
Baby giraffe
We had to re-pitch our tents in a different part of the research site due to the sand and strong winds on the cliffside. We relocated our campsite behind some buildings to hopefully cut the wind. Fingers crossed!
