cool critters of the week

By Stephanie Fox -


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Donna, game driver and total badass

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In early May, my mom, sister and I went on a safari in Murchison National Park. My mom had booked the trip through a local safari company. When I got word that our safari guide Donna would be picking us up, my ears perked up. Donna. Perhaps a woman safari driver? Huh. That would be cool. Were we that lucky? Yes. Yes we were. It's rare to see women driving in Uganda, let alone driving a standard transmission vehicle, let alone driving tourists around, let alone while simultaneously spotting leopards and lions in a four-wheel drive safari van. Indeed, Donna Katesi is one of four female game drivers currently working in Uganda. People did stare a lot – construction workers literally stopped working and stared, mouths gaping, as we drove by.   Donna is a skilled game driver and total badass. She joked that she makes her way among her male colleagues by being a bully. Case in point – when she sent us off on a boat tour one day, I heard her tell the guide t...
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riding the learning curve

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This past month has mostly been a matter of steadily hauling myself up a learning curve. I’ve had a lot to learn – remembering how to recognize the individual chimps, how to get around the forest, how to tactfully avoid running into elephants, where to by my groceries, what cell phone company now has the best reception… you name it. I have also had a lot to set up in terms of my own data collection protocols. It’s coming along – slowly by slowly, as they say in Uganda. I’m happy to report I haven’t been chased by an elephant yet, have only had to be pulled (I mean that literally) out of the swamp once, and have only been caught in the forest during a few major storms – not too bad considering it's the rainy season. The weather is wonderfully cool now – think June in Muskoka or Canmore – nice and warm during the day but you can bundle up in sweaters and under blankets at night. It stays even cooler in the forest, so I’m happy wearing pants and long sleeves, even though I...
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March for Science Kibale

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Sometimes you just let an idea grow and grow, and the next thing you know you have organized a local March for Science... And March for Science Kibale was a great success! We were joined by field assistants from most of the research projects currently going on in Kibale National Park, about 80 kids from the local primary schools and football team, 13 representatives from the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (federal governing body) and some additional community members who just wanted to participate. Also, the day before the March, I was invited to be on public radio to discuss the event. I went with one of the field assistants that I work with, Saizi, and we were given a 40 minute slot on an environmental talk show where we were able to discuss why we were having the march and about the importance of science and conservation more generally. It was heaps of fun!  We started the day by making posters with the kids about why science was important to them. Then we took our...
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