May 19, 2015 Camille Warbington, Ph.D.
A day in the life…. Wildlife research in Uganda If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be collecting data for a PhD research project in Uganda, on a swamp-dwelling antelope species, I would have thought he or she was insane. You see, I had graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in forestry, but for some reason every job I had landed since finishing my degree was animal related – from wildlife rehabilitation, to working in a zoological park, to the investigative job into companion-animal related businesses. 10 years ago I was working for the Georgia Department of Agriculture as an Animal Protection Inspector. It was a tough job, but everyone I worked with – from other inspectors to the bosses – was fantastic, supportive, and helpful whenever and whatever the issue. Even though I enjoyed working with animals, it had just not occurred to me at that time that wildlife could – and should – be the focus of my career. Through the random oscillations of the ‘Verse, my husband would get a fantastic job offer in his line of work, which would require moving across the state, and me leaving my job. Shortly after the move, I randomly applied for – and received – a job on a white-tailed deer research project for the U.S. Forest Service. And the rest, as they say, is history! I realized that research was thrilling – collecting data could be an adventure in itself, but then analyzing the data to see the trends and patterns was like solving a puzzle, or opening a mysterious box. The answers could confirm what you had suspected all along, or they could completely surprise you, requiring a change in perspective, or a new way to look at a system. So here I am, working in a swamp, far away from everything familiar, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic to share this experience with the world.
For this entry on the blog, I thought it would be interesting to share what a typical day of work for me is like. I caution that the word “typical” should be taken with a grain of salt – more on this later. Here is what a typical schedule would be: 0530 – Wake-up time. Not because I love mornings, but because it takes a while for my brain to be fully functional. 0600 – Tea in the mess hall. If you and I have met before, you would know that usually a diet soda is my drink of choice, especially in hot weather. But, sugar-free caffeinated beverages are few and far between here, so I have changed to hot tea in the morning. It is either that or instant coffee. Sometime shortly after I have finished my tea, it is time to go for the morning mark-recapture session. A driver from the camp takes me and an assistant to the specified place, where we climb to the top of the elevated platform (called a machan)
Machan with Michael (research assistant atop of it)
to see if we can spot sitatunga in the papyrus
Sitatunga Calf standing in the Papyrus.
We wait and watch until about 0930. There are not always sitatunga to watch, but there is always something going on!
Atop the Machan
0945 Breakfast in the mess hall. 1130 – Canoe to river machan to check camera traps.
Canoeing to Machans
There are currently 4 machans in the river where we are testing camera traps. It is usually a bad idea to do any type of physical work in the heat of the day, but when you go on the river, you enter hippopotamus territory, and they are notoriously ill-tempered with boats and humans. They also don’t like the heat of the day- they prefer to hide in the shade at this time. So, to avoid the hippos, we paddle when it is very hot. 1300 – Lunch in the mess hall. The camp’s cook is keeping me very well fed!
Mess Hall/Cafe
Camp – UWS
Uganda Wildlife Safaris Camp
Uganda Wildlife Safaris
Uganda Wildlife Safaris
Bit of free time here to check email, work on papers, etc. 1600 – Depart camp for the evening’s mark-recapture session. We choose a different machan than the one from the morning. Machans are randomly chosen, and we ensure that we visit each one in the morning as well as the afternoon.
1900 – Sunset , and time to head back to camp.
Machan at Sunset
2000 – Dinner at the mess.
And that is the end of the schedule. As I stated at the beginning, this would be a typical day. If you have worked in field research before, you may know that typical is not something that really exists. There are always extenuating circumstances beyond your control – vehicle problems, equipment failures, weather events, the list goes on – that keep you from implementing your plans. I used to live on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina, and there was a phrase there that went something like, “it will happen on island time.”
This phrase, “island time,” refers to the slower pace and unhurried attitude that the inhabitants of the island possess. It makes no difference if you are in a hurry, for things on the island happen in their own time. There is a similar saying here – “this is Africa” – to imply much the same sentiment. Things happen at their own pace, on their own schedule, and no matter how much of a hurry you may be in, that will not change the pace. So, you may as well roll with it, and let things develop in their own time. And this sentiment also applies to equipment – some things are going to work out, and some things are not. Each situation is unpredictable – “This is Africa.” The equipment that you thought would be perfect for the job turns out to be terrible, and the problem that you had that you thought would be the end of the story can be fixed very simply – “this is Africa”. There is another saying I have come to appreciate, this one is Pennsylvania Dutch (I think) – “Things that don’t bend to change will surely break.” I am learning to be flexible, and accept changes here more than I have ever had to in other research projects! So I don’t get to a machan twice a day, every day – rain happens, “this is Africa”. Sometimes the camera traps are taken over by ants,
Movie “Them” about Radioactive Ants taking over the World!
Trail Camera Post
or they fall in the water (apparently only hours after you put them up). Time to come up with a new pole design – “this is Africa”. Sometimes, the sitatunga don’t show themselves for a few days – frustrating, but they are there, we just have to be in the right place at the right time – “this is Africa”. The Crew, The Boat, The Truck, the Whole Kit and Kaboodle!And I couldn’t be more excited to be here!
-PhD Student Camille Holbrook Warbington