A One Armed Monkey and My Jar of Jam

For the past week, I have been following a troop of mongooses through the bush of Kasane, Botswana. I have, throughout this one week, decided that researchers are not given enough credit for the work that they do. I know it all sounds pretty simple...find the troop, sit and observe them, count them, take GPS coordinates, record the surrounding habitat characteristics, count disturbed food plots, watch mongooses run off into the bush, and start the process all over again. Well I, Erin Elizabeth Hester, am here to tell you that this is not easy work. Not easy work at all.

Every morning, I wake up around 5:45 or 6:00am to prepare for the day. I leave the lodge around 6:30am, so that I can have ample time to determine the den of the troop before the crazy little animals wake up (around 7ish) and scurry off into the bush. The troop that I am following usually camps out around Chobe Safari Lodge, the lodge I am currently calling home. But, for the past week or two, the troop has decided to den and forage on the opposite end of town. I walk about 2 or 3km to my destination and follow the guys around until 5pm.

Usually, it isn't too hard to find the troop; however, I have to constantly be aware of my surroundings. I am working right beside the Chobe River, and it is not uncommon to see a crocodile, poisonous snake, or warthog (There are warthogs running around everywhere. I would compare them to deer at home...I have seen them get hit by cars in the road.). For the past couple of days, my troop has been frequenting a golf course at the other end of town, and unfortunately, so have about 5 or 6 elephants. I have not come upon any yet, and I hope I do not come across any during my observations--elephants do not like humans very much, and can be rather dangerous.

And on the subject of the wildlife...

While lying in my tent at night, it is not uncommon to be serenaded to sleep by the trumpeting of an elephant or the deep gargling sounds of the hippos that live in the river quite close to my tent. In the morning, I am usually awakened by the screeching of baby monkeys. These guys are everywhere! I think there are about 20 that live around the lodge and steal food from the restaurant area. Just the other day, while enjoying a lovely Sunday brunch at my lodge, a couple of the grey monkeys kept stealing little jars of jam from my table. One of the thieves only had one arm. Actually a couple of the little guys only have one arm...and I'm not sure why.

And then there is the wildlife that is not so cute...yes the ant infestation has continued. I was completely sure that these tiny creatures were biting holes in my tent. But, unfortunately, this became the least of my problems. I finally got completely fed up with sleeping on and around a million ants, and a friend offered to let me use one of the beds in his room for the night. Upon return to my campsite in the morning, expecting to get ready to frolic with my little mongoose troop, I discovered two large holes in my tent. During the night, some sort of animal had chewed its way through my amazing tent. After gnawing another hole in a package of my crackers, the creature decided to leave me a couple of surprises (of course on my newly cleaned clothes...) and chew ANOTHER hole in my tent as its route of departure. Stupid thing couldn't even exit my tent through the first hole it managed to create.

Well, of course, today was the day that my advisor, Pete, began his trip to Gaborone. He left this morning around 5am and will be gone until Sunday. Therefore, I was on my own to figure things out. Fortunately, I was able to talk to the day manager, and she gave me a pretty decent rate on one of the tents at the lodge. I am paying much more than I was before, but I figure I can splurge a little bit. And my new tent is just wonderful! I don't know if I would even refer to it as a tent...it has wooden floors, electricity, a desk, and two twin beds. Outside, I have my own covered porch area with a table and chairs--I have definitely moved up in the camping world, and I am already loving it. For the first time in 3 months, I am actually living in my OWN room. For the first time in 3 months, I have been able to take everything out of my backpack. I still do not have my own bathroom. I still have to hand-wash my clothes. I still don't have a kitchen to cook in. I still have to deal with bugs. And I am completely in heaven.

Also, now since Pete is gone for the week, I am now really doing research on my own. There is no one else here to help me if I have a problem, and that fact, at times, can seem a little overwhelming. But, in actuality, it is a pretty sweet situation. My name is Erin Hester. I am living on my own in Kasane, Botswana. And I am on my own, tromping around in the African bush with the crocodiles, warthogs, and elephants, researching my own troop of mongooses. The experience is quite exciting and liberating.

Last week, something even more exciting happened to me. It was just another day. I had just completed a days work on the mongoose hunt, and I was sitting outside Pete's house, waiting for him to get home so we could discuss the day. To pass the time, I was flipping through an old National Geographic, issued March 2009. And on the next to last page, I see a little heading in red on the right hand side which read "Botswana." Of course, since I am currently living in the country, I was intrigued by the title...so I read on further. Come to find out, the little blurb stated that research is currently being conducted in Botswana on mongooses with TB, etc. I would have to say that that moment was one of the coolest moments I have experienced in my life. To be researching in Botswana is one thing. To discover that the research you are preforming in not only legitimate, but also referenced by National Geographic, is another.

And so, it is a new week, and I am off on more mongoose adventures.

until next time,

erin elizabeth