Hello all! What an honor to introduce myself on The Save the Elephants Website My name is Lauren Ross and I’m accomplishing a lifelong dream by interning with this world renowned organization in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I’ve always wanted to come to Africa not just to view it but to live it. More importantly, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the solution to the human-wildlife conflict that is a daily struggle for people and wildlife in Kenya. So, when I was given the opportunity to intern with Save the Elephants and Ewaso Lions, I jumped at the chance.
I’m a native Californian on a quest to determine exactly what I want to research in grad school. I graduated with a BS in Biology a few years ago and have been working throughout the US doing a variety of wildlife re-introduction, monitoring and conservation positions. When I return home in April , I plan to apply for grad school for the following year to further my education and career opportunities.
About 7 weeks ago I arrived in Kenya to begin a 6 week internship with STE’s neighbor, Ewaso Lions. I assisted with Shivani Bhalla’s research and conservation work focusing on reducing conflict between Samburu locals and wildlife to ultimately promote tolerance and acceptance of predators, like lions, in areas frequented by livestock. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there in Westgate Community Conservancy and learned a lot from Shivani. I was sorry to leave but now feel exhilarated to begin again with a new and exciting adventure.
Here at Save the Elephants I will primarily spend my time helping to organize and update the elephant ID catalog. This means daily outings into the park to locate and photograph as many elephants as possible that have outdated photos. As the elephants mature their features change and thus require updated versions, but we also get new elephants who need to be added to the database as well. It just so happens I LOVE photography and hope to pursue wildlife photography in the future; so what better task could be assigned to me than endless safaris taking pictures of gorgeous, photogenic subjects for the purpose of protecting and conserving their future?
Three days ago I was given my first opportunity to work when we happened upon a family called The Mountain Ranges. I took 60 photos of the family within the next 15 minutes, focusing on the larger animals. I hope at least a small handful of those will be useful! Then two days ago we spent about 25 minutes with a bull called Theresai and I snapped away again. The best part about this task is I find elephants so picturesque. I keep finding unique features or interesting angles to shoot from that bring out the artistic side in me, and next thing I know I’ve photographed the entire animal—head to toe! Thank you digital technology!
I look forward to blogging over the next 3 weeks and sharing some of these photographs with you!