"The Mission of the Kasanka Baboon Project is to create a long-term field site dedicated to the study of the Kinda baboon while providing capacity building in science education in the surrounding communities and public awareness of wildlife conservation."
Obviously, I'll be able to speak about the project in much more detail once I'm actually there! But for now, here's a very short piece on what I know about it so far...
The project is based at Kinda Camp near Fibwe Hide in Kasanka National Park. It was founded by Anna Weyher, and the camp (a low-impact, but permanent camp) construction was completed in 2009. The main aim of the project is to research Kinda baboons, as well as conserve them. There is a habituated troop within the area which are the focus of the research. This involves tracking and following the troop to record behavioural data. There is also research involving hormonal studies planned.
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Kinda baboons from the research troop (Photo from here)
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The project is also involved in community work, an aspect I'm very interested in. There is involvement with the local school as well as the running of a Young Woman's Science and Math Club. Anna's aim is to involve the community in conservation as much as possible, given that these are the people that live there and will for generations to come. A little education can go a very long way as I have personally witnessed with vervet monkeys and Chacma baboons in South Africa.
So the final countdown is under way and I will be in Kasanka in under 3 weeks now! I'm excited and scared, but overall I truly can't wait to be back in Africa doing what I love!
In the meantime Liz, the current camp manager, has sent me these ID sheets so that I can begin to learn the names of the current troop members (and hopefully begin to recognise them):
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| The current adult male baboons form the troop which I need to learn. |
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| The current adult female baboons form the troop which I need to learn. |
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