Giraffes are sometimes referred to as the ‘gentle giants of the African Savannah’. They are well known for their graceful walk and peaceful demeanor. However, as I have learned over the first few days that I have been assisting in the translocation of 22 giraffes across in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), giraffes are extremely powerful and strong-willed animals, while simultaneously sensitive and fragile. When planning to capture and translocate a giraffe, every second during the capture process counts and the veterinaries and the recording teams need to work very fast to collect their data so as to get the giraffe back on its feet as quickly as possible and comfortable in its’ new surroundings. As one could imagine, it is a very foreign experience for a giraffe to be restrained and animals are prone to agitation and frustration powerfully kicking out. Thus, as a scientist you have to be aware of your surroundings. Of course, animal behavior is highly variable and some animals respond differently to others. As an example, yesterday we darted a young male giraffe in the morning and during the capture, he did not kick out even once. While on the ground and blindfolded, he used his prehensile tongue to grab a few blades of grass and ate while we were busy collecting data on him. Dr. Liza Dadone, a veterinary from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo who was assisting the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) vets, confirmed that his vital signs were the best of any giraffe we have captured to date. Further, this giraffe was also the easiest to offload from the cart once we arrived at the boma. To recover from the stress of capture, we allow the giraffes to rest for two days in a boma before translocation to the southern part of MFNP. This male walked straight into the boma, joined the other giraffes, and started feeding. He seemed social, comfortable, content – as if he was accustomed to the experience. That was the point at which Dr. Julian Fennessy of Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) recognized the giraffe. Last year, Julian was studying giraffe skin disease in MFNP and discovered a very remarkable looking giraffe. The young male had an oddly protruding jaw with an asymmetrical structure that might indicate a healed wound or a genetic abnormality. Malady or not, one thing was clear: this was a very cute and charismatic male that bore a striking resemblance to Melman, the giraffe from the Madagascar films voiced by David Schiwmmer. Among a population of giraffe in MFNP that hover right around 1,000 what are the odds that UWA and GCF would capture Melman! And yet here he was walking about the boma making friends with the other giraffes and talking to them about his concerns of hypertension and whether or not giraffes can contract lupus. 

Because of his distinctive looks, Melman became an instant favorite of everyone in camp. Identifying individual giraffes is usually difficult and requires one to learn spot pattern recognition since each giraffe has a unique coat. However, Melman could readily be identified from a distance. Melman became the talk of all of the researchers and everyone was excited that he was part of the first cohort of giraffes to be successfully translocated to the southern part of MFNP.
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The day of the transfer dawned clear and bright, but tension was in the air. We were all a bit nervous and hopeful that Melman and the other giraffes would make the trip without incident. Fortunately, luck shined upon us. All giraffes were easily located into the transfer truck. The journey from there would be arduous. It would take 30 km to get to the ferry and then an additional 40 km from the ferry to reach the release site. Melman was by far the most curious giraffe of the group. He walked a circuit in the truck trying to see every part of MFNP from an unprecedented angle, towering above the savannah in a slow moving truck. I couldn’t help but notice that Melman annoyed the other giraffes with his eagerness. He just seemed so keen to make the most out of his experience. It was great to see his curiosity but we worried all the while as 24 giraffe legs in one cart can easily get tangled up causing one or the other of them to fall down. This did happen at one point as a giraffe stumbled and fell. The truck immediately stopped to check on the condition of the giraffe. The stillness allowed the animal to recover its position without injury. No one was certain whether Melman was involved in the fall in any way, but we did notice that he was the first to check in with the fallen giraffe. Perhaps he was apologizing. If you have watched Madagascar, you can imagine what an apology of this type would have sounded like. 

As we pulled up to the River Nile, the look on Melman’s face was positively priceless. Many of the giraffes seemed perturbed to be riding onto a car ferry. Melman, on the other hand, seemed enthralled! He moved from side to side, he looked straight down gazing into the crocodile and hippo-infested waters, he cuddled into the other giraffes like an excited child preparing to go on an amusement park ride. Melman made the crossing like a champ and I believe, in his own way calmed the other giraffes. How could you be fearful of the water was a young kid was this excited! The rest of the trip was made without incidence and we arrived in good time at the release site.
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At the release site, UWA rangers cleared the area and we prepared the truck for unloading. At first, the giraffes stood stock still. A large female was first at the opening of the door. She would decide when the group would move. Melman was tucked away in the back excitedely pushing the others forward. We knew that at least one giraffe was very ready for this new adventure in some foreign land. After a couple of minutes of disbelief that there was nothing blocking their way, the female lurched forward dashing off in a sprint. She was quickly followed by the 5 additional giraffe, including Melman, who all set off in single file, as if they were part of a long distance running event. We anticipate that the new population will steadily grow and increase the range of these endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. Their new home would be far away from human activities such as tourists vehicles, oil exploration, and poachers snares. 

Once the initial jubilation of a successful release wore off sentimentality set in. I wondered whether I would ever see Melman again. I wondered what would become of him. I wondered whether he would become a father or remain a single hypochondriac. I sincerely hope to see him again.
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My fellow lab mate Tutilo and our advisor Dr. Bob Montgomery were involved in Melman’s translocation and all shared these same feelings that this was a very special giraffe. To celebrate the day we all decided to go, along with UWA Rangers Robert and Samson, to visit the majestic Murchison Falls. In this way we were following the advice of the Park Warden of MFNP (Tom Okello) who told us, “You haven’t been to Murchison unless you have been to the top of the falls!” I guess I really have been to the falls as this particular trip was my second, but I still needed to fall Tom Okello's advice and get myself to the top. The first time I was lucky enough to visit the falls with Liza as well as Tom and Kathy Leiden from the Leiden Conservation Foundation. After the release of Melman and the other five giraffes, I saw the falls from a completely different perspective. This time we hiked around to the top of the falls and the views were simply breathtaking. Everyone should seek the Warden’s advice. This is a spectacular and transformative place. As Tom Okello says, one has to visit the top of the falls. Who knows, perhaps Melman will decide that he needs an adventure at some point in future and make his way up here. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. 

​It is day 3 since my return to Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP). The jet lag has worn off. I am settling back into my field research routine. And I have become reacquainted with most of my friends again, though everyday there are still one or two handshakes that are particularly warm given extended time apart. But, the question everybody asks when I see them is ‘have you found Butcherman yet?’ Butcherman is an extremely famous lion in Uganda. He is a beautiful large-maned individual who fought for his position and became the alpha male of the Delta Pride – which dominates extremely productive habitat in the northern part of MFNP along the Victoria Nile River Delta – in 2009. But Butcherman’s story is not simply one of hierarchy and dominance. No, Butcherman’s is a story of savagery, redemption, and mystery. You see, the habitat in the Delta Pride is not only productive because of proximity to water (water brings primary production, primary production brings ungulates, ungulates support lions), it is also dangerous for the same reason. Poachers tend to access this park via the waterways, where they come on shore and walk inland planting wire snares along the way.

Butcherman was an alpha male for just 7 months when his rear left foot made a fateful and inadvertent step into a poacher’s snare. Wire snares are unfortunately widely used in this region for bush meat (mainly hartebeest, waterbuck, or kob) but are indiscriminate weapons that are just as capable of capturing an ungulate as they are an elephant. I was part of the team that helped to free Butcherman from this snare all those years ago. When we found him he was exhausted from his hours-long effort of trying to get clear of the leg hold. The snare constricted so tightly around his leg that it shut off all blood supply causing the tissue to become necrotic. We had to amputate Butcherman’s entire lower leg, from the knee down. I remember clearly thinking at that moment that Butcherman’s days as an alpha were done. It would not be possible for a 3-legged lion to defend his alpha male status. Or would it?

Though Butcherman was licking his wounds, he returned to the safety and comfort of his Delta Pride where he was looked after by both the pride females and a beta male named Bernie. Butcherman made a relatively swift recovery, but had great difficulty moving as he hobbled along through his territory. What became clear was that he was completely unable to hunt preferred lion prey (medium to large ungulates) independently. But the skill that Butcherman fell back on was his cleverness. He knew that his roar, his mane, and his capability for intimidation were not affected by his leg. In this way he mated, reared, and ruled over the Delta Pride for an unbelievable 3 additional years. Now this story brings us almost to the present when just 3 months ago Butcherman was overthrown by two rival males (Ricky and Raphael) and vanished into thin air.

Dr. Robert (Bob) Montgomery, both the director of RECaP and my graduate advisor, has traveled half way around the world to join in the search for Butcherman. We are interested in understanding exactly how snaring effects the ecology of lions. We are pursuing questions such as; What proportion of the MFNP lion population is affected by snares? How does snaring cause change alpha male tenure? What are the effects of snaring on the ability of lions to survive and reproduce?
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Today, Bob and I drove out of our remote camp site at day break heading southwest. Our plan was to visit the core range area of the Delta pride first, then work our way outwards in a sweeping and ever-increasing circle. At over 200 km2, the Delta Pride home range is vast and comprised of a mix of expansive open savannahs dotted with thicketed acacia bushes. The western edge of the pride range is the Albert Nile which also marks the northwestern part of the park edge lined with swamp marshes where prehistoric looking shoe-bill storks reside. The sky is lit in golden strands, an oribi (a small antelope) races across the road drawing our attention. We briefly stop to investigate the cause of alarm but see nothing interesting. Without exchanging words about this, I gently ease my foot off the clutch pedal and guide the land cruiser off the road and along the ridge on high ground. If we are going to find Butcherman, we are going to use every trick in our basket.

Buffalos, waterbucks, kobs, reedbuck, and hartebeest are feeding on the moist shoots of freshly burnt fields. Elephants in groups, are browsing on short acacia trees. Beautiful views drape our perspective in every direction which eases the tensions on our mind, somewhat. Where can Butcherman be? And then… we pick up a guttural sound quite a ways off in the distance. The sound is distorted by the local din of birds squabbling over breakfast. But the sound is unrecognizable. A male lion. A lion’s roar is something that you not only hear, but you feel. When the sound of a lion’s roar echoes across the savannah the sound waves meet your body thundering through your core, emanating from your stomach up until it reverberates in your heart. Once experienced – it is always with you. The experience of a lion’s roar cannot be undone. This could be it, I thought, let this be Butcherman! From the depth of the roar, I could tell that the lion was at least 3 miles in the general direction of Pakuba airstrip, a small flat piece of land several kilometers from the Delta Pride where planes bring tourists into the park. Unfortunately, a direct path to the sound was blocked by an impassably-steep dried-up river bed. Our distance to the point would now double and our tension would do the same. As we drew closer to the airstrip I kept thinking to myself “This is going to be it.”
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Pakuba airstrip is a marram surface 1.5 km long runway with service housing on its side. The entire infrastructure is protected by an electric fence to keep wildlife out. The area around Pakuba airstrip has got open fields with few trees and occasionally a young borassus palm thicket. With the kob whistling and displaying forward vigilance behavior, we were almost certain in which borassus bush concealed this lion. As we drew near, we held our breath. When I positioned the RECaP truck into full view of the lion, it became clear that this was not Butcherman but another male lion. This lion had all the four limbs and a much darker mane. With large exhales, we re-grouped. A couple of snaps of the animal’s whisker pattern to identify him (we will compare the image with a booklet of identities of lion in this system) and we were off. 

​We continued heading westwards along the Victoria track towards the delta. We should check out the hippo pool, the land that legendary Butcherman formerly stalked, I thought. With the sun beating down upon us we had a quick field lunch of roasted ‘jungu’ (Swahili for peanut) washed down with pineapple juice as we watched a school of hippos yawn and play. I found it difficult to hide my disappointment from Bob. I got the distinct impression that he felt much the same. Not even the presence of an incredibly-large buffalo herd with mamas nursing their young could raise my spirits. The delta region lies at the lowest part of MFNP right in the north most tip of western arm of the rift valley. Working here for many years has taught me to find lions quickly as the place gets unbearably hot even during mid-morning when lions disappear into thickets to avoid the heat. It was approaching 10 am and I knew that within 30 minutes our chances of finding lions would plummet, dampening my burning desire to find Butcherman today. 

My thoughts were broken by the encouraging voice of Bob, ‘Alright, where should we go now bwana (Swahili word for sir)?’ I responded by sliding into the driver’s seat and driving off along the Nile river track. Where could Butcherman be?! Ten minutes of silent driving and a thought struck me. We should try a series of thickets near a water pool just north of the delta. This is an area that the pride females like using for the cover that it affords their young. Once we got past the delta point sign post on the western-most tip of MFNP, I instinctively slowed and we began our search looking under the bushes on either side of the car. Look for the dark shade, then look for a lion shape…look for the dark shade, then look for a lion shape. It became our mantra.
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Then suddenly Bob said, “Here we go.” Directly off the left-hand side of the car just 20 feet from our position was a huge male panting heavily in the cooling shade of a large bush. The mane looked like Butcherman, but we couldn’t yet see his legs. I repositioned the vehicle so that the animal revealed more of himself. The mane looked dark. Like a rock falling through water, a sensation went through my gut.  This wasn’t Butcherman. Not only was it not Butcherman, but I strongly suspected that it might be the exact lion that displaced him from the Delta pride leadership. Before making my pronouncement I asked Bob to tell me what this animal’s hind legs looked like.  Bob said, “This one is missing all of the toes on one of his hind feet.” Damn, I was right after all. This was Raphael who, along with his brother Ricki, knocked Butcherman off of his pedestal. 

We watched Raphael, gutted about the myriad of events unfolding. A short while later, with the shade fast-receding, Raphael lifted his head off the ground and glanced across the empty patch at the bushes a short distance away. Reading lion behavior this motion tells you exactly where other pride members are located. Without further notice Raphael, keen to reacquaint with his pride-mates, got off the ground traveling in the exact direction that he was glancing. Less then 100 meters away concealed in an extremely dense bush we saw Ricki. I know these lions well. The brothers were only 2-week old cubs when I first met them 4 years ago when I was collar-tracking their mother Pamela.
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After some more observation and the sun now firmly above our heads, I accepted the fate that today was not the day that we were going to find Butcherman. I slowly drove us back to our camp site with a flood of questions still lingering my mind. What happened when Butcherman was toppled by these brothers? Was it a fatal takeover of the delta pride? If not, then how could he find food in exile? One thing that I am sure of is that the search for Butcherman is far from over. We will be widening the search to include parts of the park that I know to be out of current pride ranges. These would be the safest places for Butcherman to live in exile. Though I desperately want to find this male that I have known for the entirety of my professional career, I am beginning to think that we might only find the ghost of the 3-legged lion of Uganda that once reigned over the Delta Pride. But until we determine that for sure, the search continues.

Our team, compiled to translocate 22 Rothschild’s giraffes, is now a well-oiled machine adjusted to the sights and sounds of Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) in northwestern Uganda. Translocation is necessary to ensure the continued persistence of Rothschild’s giraffes into the future. It has been 4 days since we arrived in the park and we wasted no time getting down to the task at hand. While the main objective of this operation is to relocate giraffes, Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) see this as an opportunity to simultaneously train students and rangers in large mammal capture and handling protocols so as to build capacity in the area. Today, just like the last three mornings, we assembled at dawn for a team meeting. In these meetings, everyone is told, and in that way understands, exactly what is expected of them on any given day. After we receive our orders, we assemble into action units. These units involve specific jobs all relating to the giraffe captures. These jobs include darting, roping, monitoring of giraffe at the capture site, monitoring of giraffe at the boma (enclosure), measuring physical characteristics of each individual animal, and carting (transporting) the giraffes. I am part of the unit that is tasked with measuring the physical characteristics and recording data on the captured giraffe. Earlier this week Dr. Peter Morckel, with himself acting as the captured giraffe, led an intensive training session which mimicked the moment shortly after a giraffe is darted and requires restraint. Playing the role of the giraffe Dr. Morckel was fast to emphasize that giraffes are far stronger than he is, underscoring the importance of learning good solid techniques and working cohesively as a unit. The training lasted between 3 and 4 hours in which everyone gained familiarity with their roles and with how best to work efficiently in a small group capacity.  

​When it comes to the practice of capturing real giraffes in the wild landscape of MFNP, what we accomplished over the course of several hours would need to be handled in minutes. The moment a giraffe is darted, the roping team needs to slow down the animal and temporarily restrain it on the ground. 

​With the giraffe on the ground, the monitoring unit and measuring unit (my individual unit) step in, blindfold the animal (to decrease the individual’s stress) and collect data on the animal’s vital rates. These include heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. We also collect blood samples, ossicone (the horns on top of giraffes’ heads) length, head length, neck length, and body length, among others. At the same time, a reversal drug is administered into the giraffe to counteract the effects of the dart. Therefore, when the measuring and monitoring units complete their work, the animal is almost fully aware. As part of the monitoring unit, I risk injury from the giraffe while collecting these important pieces of information. Dr. Morckel and Dr. Julian Fennessy of GCF are quick to point out that the safest place to be is near the shoulder of the giraffe where we can avoid the animal's powerful leg kicks.  

For this translocation process some animals are fitted with GPS collars, donated by GCF, so that we can monitor their movement and habitat selection once they have been relocated to the southern part of the park. Once the GPS collar has been fitted on the head of the animal, the giraffe is carefully guided into the cart. Once in the cart, the giraffe is transported to the boma for temporary confinement before release. We use this time period to continue to monitor the giraffes to ensure that each animal is in good health and condition. As of today, we have successfully captured 8 giraffes all of which are doing great in the boma. The days are long and the work is usually fast, but well worth it!    ​

Another benefit of the training session was the opportunity to establish new friendships. And who would have thought that I would meet a fellow Spartan in the remote reaches of Uganda. Today I met Dr. Celsus, a veterinary doctor at Makerere University. Dr. Celsus recently finished a 4-month stint working at Michigan State University (MSU) honing his skills in large animal care and geographic information systems research. It was a great feeling to see someone else in MSU Green and White dedicating their time to the practice of securing the future of giraffes: this iconic species of Africa. Speaking of which, Tutilo Mudumba, a fellow member of the RECaP Laboratory at MSU, stopped by to say hello on his journey to find a group of young men who were once poachers but now make a living by making and selling crafts created from illegal wire snares. You can read more about Tutilo’s work here in these Notes from the Field. Tutilo is a great friend of so many people here in MFNP and was warmly welcomed by all, but perhaps none more warmly than the rangers. The rangers are particularly appreciative of the work that Tutilo has done in this region focusing on lion conservation and anti-snaring initiatives. Snaring is a big problem in this landscape threatening the conservation of all large mammals. And yet is Spartans that are searching for answers to the problems that plague conservation biology. Go Green!

Settling into my first night back in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) following a 5-month absence I have pitched my tent under the expansive shade of a sausage tree right in the heart of this incredible national park. January is a very peaceful time to camp under this tree because sausage trees do not fruit during this time of year. If I elected to camp under this same tree during the fruiting season, I would be a very foolish man indeed. You see, sausage tree fruit is a favorite of elephants and when in-season, scores of elephants will travel from sausage tree to sausage tree gobbling up every bit of fruit that they can find. But for now, I can fall asleep in the peaceful quite of an African evening with the understanding that my tent will not be trampled by a herd of elephants on this night.

As I set my head down on terra firma my eyelids are heavy with the physical weight of a long day’s work and my mind is clouded with the emotional weight of being back in a place that I so love and because I love it so much (for that very reason) I have been separated from it for over 5 months. I have spent these past 5 months pursuing my graduate degree in the RECaP Laboratory at Michigan State University (MSU). In this way I have left my home so that I can ultimately stay at home. I am working to gain the necessary academic credentials to ensure that I can have a long and productive career studying wildlife conservation in East Africa. Despite these relative weights upon my eyes and mind, sleep does not immediately come. I am unsettled. In the last 5 months, snaring in MFNP has been steadily climbing. I am concerned about this pattern. I am concerned about the negative effects on the wildlife in this park if snaring continues to rise. To put it plainly, I am concerned that my ‘Snares to Wares’ initiative may have suffered during my 5-month absence abroad.
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Earlier today I traced the youth group involved in the Snares to Wares initiative. Today I was looking for the ‘Craft Boys’. These are boys and young men that were once part of the illegal snaring of wildlife in the park. They did not participate in poaching because they were keen to kill wildlife. They were recruited into this activity at highly impressionable ages, when their access to other opportunities was minimal. Via the Snares to Wares initiative I have helped, in my own way, to convert Lost Boys into ‘Craft Boys’, making toys and goods which they can sell for a profit in the market from the wire snares which defined their previous occupations. 

In tracking down the Craft Boys I wanted to know if the Snares to Wares initiative is still functional and to talk about how these young men now experiencing their lives having left poaching behind. My first interaction with the Craft Boys was facilitated by a traditional East African music group that taught me how to play the African harp. This traditional music group plays regularly at the MFNP northern bank ferry landing to entertain visitors as they wait the hourly ferry crossing. Tips and other handouts from visitors are used to fund band member’s joint development projects offering a risk-free legal mechanism to cater for the livelihoods of their relatives who reside in the villages around the park. This is but one mechanism to promote community-based conservation. The Snare to Wares initiative is another such effort. One band member is a close relative of the group leader of the Craft Boys.

Thus, to find the Craft Boys, I first had to find the band. And that, as you might expect, was relatively easy. Follow the beautiful sound of traditional East African music floating across the air. While following this melody, my 4x4 was temporarily detained by some determined-looking baboons. What became rather obvious was that the alpha male was far too preoccupied with a sexually-receptive female to get off the road and let us pass. The alpha male gave us an incredulous glare demonstrating that his mind was on another matter entirely. After a couple of minutes we were on our way.

​Back on the road, we were just a few minutes from the ferry landing. Once again I was met with more smiles and delight from the band members that I had not seen for some time. One by one, we exchanged pleasantries after which I was asked by Bongomin, the base harp player, if I could join in and play the ‘simba na guruma’ song. Literally translated this song means ‘the lion roars’. With months of no practice away at MSU, I couldn’t seem to find the right note and struggled to keep pace with this expertly-practiced team. Fortunately for me, I was saved by the tenor harp player, Ochaya, who took lead and soon the ferry landing was filled with the joyful sounds of harps and vocals. The ‘simba na guruma’ song was composed by this team on my behalf. Shortly after making friends with the team and chatting about my research, they wrote this song to seamlessly represent the bond that we had formed. The song showers praise upon lions, representing my own fascination with lion ecology, with a chorus that reiterates the phrase ‘simbaaaaaa na gurumaaaa!’ ‘the lionnnnnnn roarrrrrrrrs!’ Hearing this song again transports me back in time to the days when the Snares to Wares initiative first began with biologists and park rangers alike humming this tune as we searched the undergrowth of MFNP for the treacherous snares which threaten the persistence of lions and numerous other species of wildlife in this region.  

Transfixed by my memories I realized that my anxiety over being rusty in playing the harp was gradually drifting away. I caught up to the pace of the song and found that locals and tourists alike were enjoying the music, bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to the rhythm. With music raging over a 30-minute period though, my reawakened harp playing skills began to fade. I passed the harp over to a more-skilled player and enjoyed the music as an observer. When the ferry was fully-loaded and the tourists gone, the base harp player gave the signal and the band came to a swift and magical stop. With small beads of sweat forming on my forehead and lower arms, I found a large stone in the midst of the band to act as my seat and called on the band to chat about the current state of the Snare to Wares initiative. I learned from the band that the reformed poacher craft group had recently made some additional sales in the market. The carving of wooden craft, I now understand, is more profitable than conversion of wire snares to goods. The band encouraged me to talk to the leader of Craft Boys directly. With the recent and exponential growth in mobile phones in this region, the leader was simply a phone call away. Unlike the days of old when it would take me hours to track him down.

I quickly and eagerly dialed the number and was disappointed to find it unavailable. The team reassured me that the group leader can be found in Pakwach town, 25 kilometers from the ferry landing, and that if the phone is unavailable, it is simply because the phone ran out of charge. With renewed spirits, I thanked the team and headed further north to Pakwach town.
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Pakwach is a small town right on the boundary of MFNP at the exact spot the river Nile threads its way into the park. The town has a human population that could comfortably fit into Spartan Stadium on an autumn Saturday. Pakwach is linked to the rest of Uganda via a large road that skirts the northern rim of MFNP and forms a boundary between the park and community. Within sighting distance of the iconic bridge over the Nile leading into Pakwach, I came across a huge African elephant whose presence by the road had stopped the return of village women from a firewood trip inside the park. Elephants rarely cross the bridge into Pakwach town but are a common sight in this part of the park where they hang in the swampy marshes during hot days. The village women kept their distance and I pressed on gently, gliding past this impressive animal.

Once in Pakwach, I headed for the Craft Boys open-air craft workshop and found Robinson –the groups’ leader arched over a used-car tire cutting flip-flop shapes amongst a busy team of youth bent over and absorbed in their work. Dropping his tools, the youthful and energetic Robinson rose and met me half way into the workshop. As he and I embraced I could hear the rustle of the other group members whispering among themselves with older boys explaining to the recent recruits who I was and how I had come to work with them before. The first thing that I did was reiterate my continued interest in working with the team and telling them that I was very happy the team was still maintaining their business. Robinson countered with details of the problems the boys had experienced maintaining the Snares to Wares initiative. The central problem, as I was made to understand, is this: wire crafts primarily only appeal to tourists who appreciate the story of making a craft out of an element of destruction: a snare. But tourists rarely, if ever, visit Pakwach. So there was very little market for these goods in town. Given the lack of a market for the wire snares goods, the Craft Boys had to diversify their trade. This is why they moved into wooden carvings, which are much for appealing to local residents of Pakwach. We talked about what could be done, about how we could make plans to gets these snaring crafts into the park so that they would be more accessible to tourists. I left Robison promising that I would develop some creative solutions to ease these troubles and embolden the initiative once again.
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After that meeting, I drove back to my tent site inside the park with mixed feelings. I take joy out of knowing that the Craft Boys are making headway as crafts-makers and earning a living via a diverse business. But I can’t help but be saddened by the fact that we have not yet made the progress that we need to via the Snares to Wares initiative. Without such innovative solutions more wildlife will die in MFNP. I strongly believe these crafts could readily be sold to tourists in MFNP or even in stores throughout the United States and Europe. My resolve now is to link the Craft Boys to all of the local hotel owners and other tourist centers in MFNP. I must find a market for the snare crafts to complete the circle – From Snare to Wares – simultaneously conserving wildlife and preserving human interests. This is the mission statement of the RECaP Laboratory and I accept that banner of responsibility. Tomorrow is a new day and I will keep you posted as to my progress in tracking down the long lost three-legged lion. But for now I will let my eye lids drop.

As Sophia, my long-term field assistant, and I pull up to the River Nile in our 4x4 truck I feel my heart pounding in my chest. It has been 5 months since my eyes have last seen the incredible landscape that is Murchison Falls National Park, since my nose has smelled the splash of this great river gouging out its earthen banks, since my ears have heard these mixed sounds of birds, boat motors, and car engines. For the past 5 months I have been working as a graduate student in Dr. Robert Montgomery’s RECaP Laboratory which conducts research on the ecology of carnivores and their prey. This lab is based at Michigan State University (MSU) which feels a world away from the banks of the Nile. I am smiling as I embrace this sensory overload and suddenly there is one sound, the voice of a friend that I have not seen in some time, which immediately wakes me from my almost meditative state. 

“Butcherman, the three-legged Delta pride head lion is long lost! George Atubo (20 + year Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ranger) has retired. Tutilo Mudumba is lost and yet here you are my friend. Back to Murchison at last!!!”

That is voice and words of my great friend Kwezi as he rushed forward with open arms embracing me after my long absence. This point marks the culmination of a 300 km drive, an 18-hour flight, and 5 months spent diligently working in East Lansing, Michigan preparing for my field work. Despite my long journey, I am back in the exact spot where I initiated my career in wildlife conservation all those many years ago: Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP).

In addition to being my good friend, Kwezi is a senior UWA range guide. He is a seasoned veteran in these parts eminently knowledgeable on all things MFNP. Kwezi heard a rumor that I would be returning to MFNP today. He was tipped off by lab mate and co-wildlife conservation conspirator Arthur Muneza. Arthur has been in MFNP working with Giraffe Conservation Foundation and UWA on Operation Twiga as detailed in our Notes from the Field. When Kwezi got wind of my return he did not sit idle. Instead, he found all sorts of our friends and organized them at the ferry crossing to meet me as I came into the park. To say that I was overcome by this welcome would be an understatement. 

These people have been my friends for many years. We have dined together. We have laughed together. We have been deep in the field together. We have encountered lions and hyenas in the dead of night together. I guess with such experiences comes an unbreakable bond. I am glad to be here among friends. I am glad to be back in the field. I am glad to be home!
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But why am I here, you may ask? I am here to quantify the effect of various disturbances on the ecology of lions. Murchison Falls is the largest national park in Uganda and the only protected area in Africa with active oil mining ongoing. Before the onset of the oil works inside MFNP, I was embedded in this beautiful park studying lions to understand key threats to their survival. The results of my study lead to the establishment of a snare removal program, called the ‘Snares to Wares’ initiative. Illegal snares are widely used by poachers, many of them are children recruited into this industry because they lack other opportunities, in MFNP to capture mammals for bush meat. In this way, small metal wire rings are placed along game trails and concealed where they indiscriminately capture and maim any unsuspecting animal that walks past, including lions. That is how Butcherman, the former alpha male lion of the Delta pride, impressively managed to guard over his territory for more than 3 years with just three legs. Imagine a lion being capable of defeating rival males when missing the better part of one of his hind legs? 

Via the Snares to Wares initiative, I am keen to transform something that can do so much harm into something that can do so much good. In this way, I develop sophisticated quantitative models to most effectively retrieve snares from the landscape. Once these snares are removed I donate the metal wire to craftsman (those same boys who used to participate in poaching) in the market who turn this agent of death into a ware or craft that has a value and can be sold for profit. My return to MFNP is a follow up to this initial success story. I want to re-connect with the ex-poacher youth groups and document their amazing use of metal wires for crafts and sandals. And there is not time like the present. Despite my efforts, poaching via wire snares has increased during my absence from the park. Therefore, it is vital that I re-assess the Snares to Wares initiative and expand this fundamentally-important program with additional support from interested members of the public. Without the critical effort, there will be more three-legged lions, or three-legged kob, or leopards, or hyenas. Without this effort, tourists to this park will see the sights of horribly-maimed wildlife more often than is tolerable.

One of the other responsibilities that I feel is the need to share with the broader MSU community the pressing and important research that we are conducting in RECaP. You should know that Spartan Nation is strong in Uganda. “Go Green, Go White” works just as well in Breslin Arena as it does in this region as the Uganda Wildlife Authority uniforms share our school colors. Over these next two weeks and beyond, I will give you a window into what it is like to conduct research in East Africa searching for the large carnivores that stalk this landscape in the twilight. I will document how in RECaP we are using technological innovations to study carnivores and their prey with ever-more impressive detail. And I will provide you with photos of MFNP with its flowing savannah hills, thicketed combretum bushes, and lush impenetrable forests.
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The joy of being back home in MFNP is overwhelming for me! And the first thing that I need to do, as Kwezi told me earlier today, is pay respect to my friend George Atubo. We know where George is: he is at his village home enjoying retirement. The next job will be a bit harder. We need to track down that missing three-legged lion Butcherman whose popularity is only eclipsed by his rival Cecil. We don’t know where Butcherman is or what has become of him. We can only hope that he too is enjoying his own type of retirement from the strenuous life of an alpha male. Stay tuned as we search for this impressive animal. We are glad to have you aboard!

After years of planning and fundraising, Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have finally launched Operation Twiga. Twiga is the Swahili word for giraffe and Operation Twiga is an initiative to protect the critically endangered Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi). The operation was launched at the headquarters of UWA where Dr. Julian Fennessy, the Director of GCF, handed over a truck to UWA that will be used to transport giraffe from the northern side of Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), Uganda to the southern side where these animals have not existed in perhaps the last 100 years (it is hard to say for sure). It was a special occasion that was spearheaded by the acting Executive Director of UWA, Dr. Nightingale Mirembe, Head Veterinary of UWA Dr. Patrick Atimnedi and the Director of Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), James Musinguzi. I am here to help in this effort as part of the continued collaboration of Michigan State University’s RECaP (Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey) Laboratory and GCF via Dr. Fennessy. Today we had a team meeting where we learned that we are going to translocate a total of 22 giraffes. We will move 20 of these giraffes to the southern bank of the Victoria Nile River that bisects the park, and 2 giraffes will be moved to UWEC in Entebbe. 

The main objective of Operation Twiga is to secure the future of Rothschild’s giraffes in their natural habitat and range. With human activities threating the survival of giraffe subspecies across sub-Saharan Africa, such programs are key to the conservation of this incredible species. For instance, there is ongoing oil exploration in northwestern Ugandan, adjacent to MFNP, and the effects of such activities on the local flora and fauna are, as yet, unknown. Uganda is home to 75% of the remaining Rothschild’s giraffe population and MFNP is home to the largest population of the subspecies, numbering slightly over 1,000 individuals. Thus, a team of veterinaries, ecologists, rangers, and volunteers, made their way to MFNP to begin the translocation process of these precious animals. The team spent a day assessing the terrain and materials needed for the translocation. Park rangers and UWA officials also held a brief training session to make sure that everyone knew their roles beforehand. 

​The training was led by Dr. Peter Morckel, an expert who has assisted in the translocation of African megafauna for several decades. Moving any large mammal, especially one as large as a giraffe, is easier said than done. The training was very helpful as everyone was reminded what to do at each stage and in good time. Wild animals are not used to human presence and they can become easily agitated or aggressive when humans get too close. Therefore, it was important that we (the whole team of ecologists, vets, rangers, and volunteers) were made aware of the risks and what was expected of each one of us. We were shown the tools that would be used for the operation and got up close with them before they were in use. One particular item that grabbed everyone’s attention was the cart for transporting giraffe that was donated by UWEC. Everyone is excited about Operation Twiga and is anxiously waiting for the moment when the enclosure, which was built by UWA rangers, has a couple of tenants!

It is 8:00 AM on Christmas morning, and normally around this time I would be rolling out of bed and putting on some coffee. After my dose of liquid energy, I’d begin to help my mother with the preparation of a casserole for dinner or catching up with my sister, who would be teasing me for my lack of culinary skills. However, on Christmas morning 2015, I find myself in a very different environment. Where am I, you may ask? I am in the depths of an immense flooding, consisting of an intricate complex of dense marshes, boggy wetlands, and mixed woodlands in central Michigan. The flooding is remote, but it has a winding interconnected (almost) trail system that I have grown accustomed to navigating over the past 6 months. The flooding has been one of the primary locations in which I have been tracking an invasive large mammal. I gaze out into the woods and exhale. My breath crystalizes into a hoary frost. Today is a cold and blustery winter day, typical of Michigan in late December, and there is a fresh dusting of snow on the ground from the previous night. The only warmth being generated is from the engine of the ATV as I sit and wait for my radio to chime in on the 800 frequency. As I wait, perhaps a little impatiently given that it is Christmas day, I think back to a phone call I received earlier that morning.

“Steven, we have a boar trapped in the flooding. Are you available for collaring?”

“…Yeah.” I say “When and where should we meet?”

“East side at around 7:00 AM. Merry Christmas!”

Without further context, this might seem like an odd and perhaps, random conversation. You see, the reason I am chasing that invasive mammal (the wild boar) around a wetland on Christmas morning is part of a large coordinated effort to document the spatial ecology of a species that we know very little about in the Northern part of the United States. The call came from the lead pig biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, a close partner and collaborator on this project. 

These boars in Michigan are Eurasian in origin (Eurasian wild boar Sus scrofa). They were introduced in Michigan on private game ranches for the purpose of providing a “unique” hunting experience. Inevitably, some animals escaped from these ranches and became feral. In Michigan, these animals retain many of the characteristics you would commonly associate with wild boar: having long legs, thick bristled fur, an elongated snout, and in some cases, sharp curving tusks. 

​As a member of the Applied Forest and Wildlife Ecology and RECaP (Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey) laboratories, I am interested in the spatial ecology of prey species. I find it fascinating to study the way in which invasive Eurasian wild boars use the landscapes of Michigan, such as these dense wetlands, to their own advantage. I wonder how they make a living? I wonder how many boars there are in Michigan? And I also wonder about the consequences that this invasive species presents to the Michigan landscape? Swine are voracious consumers, willing to eat almost anything, the veritable sharks of terra firma. Since feral swine are invasive and relatively new (< 15 years) to the Michigan landscape, very little is known about their behavior and movement. The aims of my research are to fill in these knowledge gaps so as to inform future management efforts for this species.

Back to the ATV where I sit huddled for warmth contemplating the events leading up to this moment. The radio crackles on again:

“Pack things up Steve, the boar got out of the corral trap. It jumped over the top of the fence.” My DNR contact said with disappointment.

I drop my head in dismay. This exact event, a boar getting out of a trap, has become so typical on this research project. In just 6 months we have had boars escaping our efforts to capture them in almost every way imaginable. The one underlying take-home message is that Eurasian boar, even those that are on holiday in Michigan, are extremely clever.

I pack up my things and slowly begin my long, cold, and lonely ride through mud and thickets to reach the field truck. We pack up our things and begin our drive home from one of several disappointing excursions we’ve experienced during this project. Why are boar so challenging to catch? For one, they are extremely intelligent. They are also nocturnal and tend to avoid areas of high human activity ─ not to mention their superior sense of smell. These attributes make wild boar a relatively cryptic species and lead to many difficulties when conducting research that relies on capturing and attaching GPS collars to individual animals.
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As we bump along the frozen potholed roads my mind turns to home, to dinner, and to Mom’s pumpkin pie. 

Despite the frustration and heartbreak felt in the flooding that morning, the night of January 11th tells a different story. The one common denominator was that each story begins with a call. This time I was told that multiple boars were captured in two separate traps. Excitement! Finally, the break that I have been waiting for. If there are numerous animals then maybe we could fit GPS collars on 3 or 4, hell maybe even 5 of them. This would be a tremendous increase to our sample size. I scrambled to get ready, packed up the field vehicle, and got on the road. A mile away from the corral traps I met up with my colleagues and we all chatted excitedly about the large number of animals that may be in the traps. We were mobilized and ready. The darting crew, those individuals tasked with anesthetizing the animals for collaring, were already on the move and we were awaiting word from them. Thoughts began to race through my head, reminding me of the numerous close calls and near misses that we have had throughout this project. I could feel a knot starting to form in the pit of my stomach and every passing minute without contact from the darting crew was injecting doubt into my mind. There is going to be nothing there, my mind told me. Though the trip wire had been activated, the boars would have found some way out, just like the last few times.
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My misgivings were not supported. In the first trap we found a total of 5 boars of which we were able to fit GPS collars on 2 of the larger individuals. Several hours later I’m driving an ATV across an expansive field; I’m squinting hard, and the bitter wind and heavy snow are so biting that my eyes well with tears. I am exhausted from the frenzied activity of monitoring and collaring multiple boars in the first corral trap, however, we have one more animal in a trap several miles away. I arrive at the trap and assist in collaring and drawing blood from a young female boar. We attach a GPS collar and harness that fits behind the front legs and around the torso of the animal. The harness is necessary since wild boars lack a distinct neck, and could easily slip a collar if it were not anchored by the harness. Before we pack up, I record the VHF frequency of the collar to help us locate the animal in the future using telemetry equipment.

After a well-deserved nights rest, I wake up the next morning, sit down at my desk and turn on my computer. I pull up a map that displays a satellite image of the world. The map pans towards Michigan and I select a handful of telemetry ID’s (referring to the collar of each individual animal). As the page updates, I zoom in to find a smattering of yellow and red points (illustrating the most-recent movements of the animals). We have real-time data! This information reveals a portion of the story as to how feral swine are using the Michigan landscape. I will be able to create utilization distributions, which will allow me to identify areas where a boar spends most of its time. I can build models by which I can assess the ways in which individual boars exploit resources and identify the corridors they use for travel. All of this information will help us develop effective techniques for managing this invasive species, and in the end, protect Michigan’s native flora and fauna. As the data accumulates, my excitement continues to grow.

​Although I am encouraged about the data we are collecting, we still need to capture additional animals to strengthen our analyses and conclusions from this research. In addition, we need to find an animal that we captured last summer that has a malfunctioning collar. We have received photographs of her but are yet to pin down a location ─ the search for the missing boar is about to begin. Since these animals have managed to out maneuver us in every phase so far, we are considering a new method. We will be taking to the skies…