About the safest place in Kenya to do your fieldwork*

[bending_sickle]

Supervisor speaks! His (edited) response to Gloria, or "Why we're not sending these students to their deaths." Now just to see what she replies in the face of this.

I fully agree with your effort to minimise risks of all biology students going out to do Master studies abroad and you have my full support.

However for the Amboseli Lion Project I can give you my assurance that it is about the safest place in Kenya to do your fieldwork. This study site [...] is much much safer than the study area's of our fieldstations in North Cameroon and the Philippines, where we have sent around 350 master students during the past 15 years.

[The] students [...] will work in one of the top parks of Kenya, where some 200,000 tourists a year are visiting the place. They are clsoely working with a group of five American resaerchers of the Living with Lions project in the area. There are five other research projecxts with about 20 foreign researchers active inside or outside the park (e.g. the famous Amboseli Elephant Project of Dr Cynthia Moss).

[Five] American universities have a Field Studies centre with a guesthouse at a few km form the park were annually there are 20-30 USA students involved in fieldwork. When I was in Amboseli last July some of lodges were already fully booked, in spite of the recent political unrest end 2007.

Even during the riots end 2007 tourists were still visiting the park and all lodges were fully booked. Of course nobody had foreseen the post election trouble, but this is not likely to repeat itself since there will be no elections, a political coalition has been formed between Opposition leader Odinga and President Kibaki.

Every person knowing Kenya will tell you that this part of Kenya Amboseli NP is a secure area.

The problems in the past have occurred in the Rift Valley, not in Masaai land.

[...] I will stay the first two weeks of fieldwork in a tourist lodge in the park, together with the students to have a good start up. I have reserved a guesthouse at Amboseli NP Head Quarters after my departure for the students. Second supervisr [...] will visit the students in February 2009. A third supervisor will visit the students during March-April 2009 and as I mentioned they will collaborate closely with the American researchers of the Living with Lions project. We have a written and signed agreement on this with the American project.

* Supervisor, ibid

Comments

[lienne.livejournal.com]

Hope lives yet! Awesome! *squishes you*

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

\o/ *squishes back*

[blizzardcake.livejournal.com]

omg sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!! =D

[(Anonymous)]

well, i'm glad Supervisor finally spoke up about it. sounds very promising, my darling! although i doubt it's going to shut that woman up, as it sounds like nothing is too safe for her. reminds me a bit of my mother. she sounded a little concerned when i told her you were going to kenya to study lions, btw, but then she sounds concerned when i tell her i walked down a well-lit street at nine pm. so... you can't really win.

except you're going to win by going to kenya and not dying. so there you go.

xxx
kit-kat

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

For the win! \o/ (And d'aww that your mom's concerned. Feel free to copy-paste-share this email from my supervisor with her.)

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

I sort of forgive Supervisor a boatload of stuff just for this letter. It's awesome.