My name is Zeituna Mustafa. I am very happy to have gotten this special chance of getting a work experience as a Kenyan intern. My colleague was from Australia, her name is Tempe Adams. I have gotten field and office experience which I didn’t have before.
The most important field work is collaring. I was making a film for the whole operation. Collaring elephants was the most amazing thing I did. It took us 4 days to collar 7 elephants and 1 lion. I have learnt most of the families of elephants in the reserve and that is my biggest achievement is knowing each family by name and also names of specifics in the family in a short time. It needed keenness. On top of that I can identify one of the members in every family therefore I can know the name of the family by name.
Another field work is I went to Shaba National reserve to take report of 1 dead elephant found in the area by rangers. I and my colleagues went up to the scene and found the carcass which was 2 weeks old. I filmed the whole operation and took report. The elephant had been shot outside the reserve and it ran back to the reserve. We could see the bullet.
I also went for mammal cencus whereby you count all the mammals in the reserves that is Samburu and buffalo springs. We do the census twice every week. In the office I helped in entering data’s from the field in to the computer and also filling the datas for the MIKE project. During my free times I help in the kitchen, check the updates in our website that is STE website and do wiring in the trees around our camp. This is because elephants remove the bark and this will destroy the trees.
I have also gotten a chance to meet new people from different countries and know a lot about everything. I also flew in a plane and this is an important lesson because I used to think I have height phobia but I realized I don’t. I love geography and I am even thinking of becoming a pilot. This has been the best time in my life and is looking forward to more of this. I am passing my big thanks to Iain for allowing me to be in the camp and learn all this work. Also to other important people who made sure I was getting the experience and also feel at home.