I went to Samburu over the weekend for the Annual Education Party for the Save the Elephants (STE) sponsored children. This would be my last time to see all the kids together and introduce them to the new STE Education Officer.
We had a great day together. The children watched some wildlife films. I then gave a talk informing them about my next career move and introducing them to Arnold, my replacement. The kids were great – they gave me letters, cards and presents and I was really touched by their efforts. David and Daniel, from STE, also gave talks and it was a great morning. We gave out prizes, had lunch and then went out for a game drive. One of the girls had never seen an elephant before and after we drove up to a family of elephants, she was in awe but almost threw herself out of the car because she was so scared initially! We also saw 5 cheetahs feeding on a kill which was very cool.
I am glad I got the chance to say bye to the children, and am happy knowing that I will still see some of them over the next few years as I go about with my fieldwork. They have been part of my life for almost 4 years now and it is hard to say goodbye. One of the old STE students, Raphael Lekuraiyo, is now part of the Ewaso Lions team and I am delighted to have him on board and begin basic fieldwork within West Gate Conservancy.
This was my last weekend in Samburu for a long time. I won’t be back until December now as I will be spending a few months in Oxford from September to end of November. I was really happy to have spent these days in Samburu, saying bye to my colleagues, camp guys and the sponsored children. I’ll miss Samburu; this will be the longest that I will be away. I am really excited to be heading back to the area in December to begin my fieldwork.
