Ant Genocide in Northeastern Botswana

Hello from Kasane!

Crazy how life can change here in a matter of days. I can already tell that this last month is going to fly by...mainly because I am going to be SUPER busy.

Last Thursday marked the final day I would spend with the group until we meet in Gaborone in mid-May. The day was pretty hectic. Most of the day was spent studying for my final exam and finalizing essays to be turned in prior to my departure. On Thursday evening, the whole group boarded a little boat on the Okavango River around sunset. We rode along the river just around the time when there is still an orange glow on the horizon and the stars are beginning to emerge in the sky. After about thirty minutes we docked the boat upon a tiny dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Little did I know, this tiny dirt road would lead to the home of an extremely interesting man from the states. We spent the next couple of hours outside of his home, gazing upon stars and planets with his huge (and I'm sure extremely expensive) telescope. Of all the celestial bodies witnessed, Saturn was one of the most extraordinary. I was able to see the planet, its rings, and its moons as if I were looking at a picture drawn in a children's book. Also impressive was a nebula located in the constellation of Orion's Belt. While it resembles a star, this bright body (located in the scepter of the belt) is actually a cloud of light, a birthplace of stars.

Craziness began the following morning. I woke up early, packed up all of my gear (a common occurrence while studying abroad) and took a taxi to the bus rink in town. I took a bus for a couple of hours to Nata (being the only white person on the bus, and I am pretty sure the only foreigner-- an interesting experience, especially at the Foot and Mouth disease checkpoints. Tourists definitely never use this mode of transportation). The particular bus that I was riding was destined for Francistown, and I therefore had to switch buses mid-trip. I waited alone for quite a while on the side of the road in Nata, but the bus never came. Now, I cannot actually say that my next mode of transportation included hitchhiking across Botswana because 1) it is kind of against SIT rules and regulations, and 2) I think my mother would freak out. Therefore I will just say that the bus never came, and I had to become creative and devise my own mode of transportation. But if I had hitchhiked, it may have just gone a little like this:

After sitting for quite a while at a gas station where the bus was supposed to stop, an old (and quite possibly drunk) man kept hassling me to buy one of his carved sticks. He knew that I was waiting for a bus, and for some reason, he was persistent on finding me a way to Kasane. After about an hour, and large truck pulled into the station. Two South Africans, by the name of Michelle and Mark, jumped out and began pumping gas. And long story short, the old drunk man convinced these two lovely people to take me to Kasane (even though I think they just felt bad for me having to deal with the guy--he told me that I was supposed to give him all of my possessions since he found me a ride). I soon learned that Michelle and Mark were horse trainers headed for Zanzibar, and Mark was actually stopping by the hospital in Kasane (he believed he had recently come down with malaria). With Celine Dion blasting in the background, I made interesting conversation with the two; and after four hours of riding in the middle front seat of the huge truck, I found myself in Kasane.

Pete, my research advisor, picked me up from the hospital. From there, we went back to his house and had a lovely potluck dinner with a few of his friends. He lives in an adorable little cabin right off the main road. After dinner, we watched a movie, and I finally headed to the lodge that I will call home for the next month. It was around 9:30 when we actually got to Chobe Safari Lodge, and the receptionist did not understand my sleeping arrangements (Pete knows the manager and had earlier reserved a camping spot for me off the record). Again, long story short, I didn't camp the first night. I was able to use the room of the manager. It was so nice to have a bed to sleep in and a hot shower.

For the last couple of days, I have basically been following Pete around and learning the ins and outs of mongoose research, and I have learned SO much over the last couple of days. I am learning how to use radio telemetry, triangulation, and homing to locate my mongoose troop. One mongoose in the troop has been previously trapped, and a radio collar has been placed around its neck. For the next couple of weeks, I will be walking around with my own little yagi (the antenna that attached to my receiver) trying to locate the troop. I will be taking behavioral and clinical observations of my troop every couple of hours. I will also be using food plots to determine the "giving up density," or GUD, of the troop which will provide insight into the relative foraging capacity of the mongooses in my home range. Fecal samples will also be taken daily to provide information about stress hormone levels present in individuals of the troop. All of my observations should provide information for Pete's current study regarding the incidence of tuberculosis among the banded mongoose species, Mungos mungo. The next month is going to be insanely busy.

**Side note: The CORRECT way to say the plural form of the word mongoose is not mongeese. It is "mongooses." I apologize for my ignorance.

The lodge at which I am camping is located between the Chobe river and Chobe National Park. It is a four star lodge and is quite lovely, except for the ants. I truly believe that there are more ants on and around the area of my tent than there are people currently living in the country of Botswana. I have spent a lot of my time committing ant genocide, as the ants have spent the majority of their time devising new ways to enter my tent. I have already been through a can of Raid, and the surgical tape my mother insisted that I pack has finally come in handy...I think the ants are actually gnawing holes in my tent. It is insanity.

Tomorrow begins my first day of independent field work. And while I have learned a lot since my arrival, there are still so many things to be learned...I'm sure I will just begin actually catching on around early May. Wish me luck!!

erin elizabeth