IRES: Behavioral Ecology and Conservation of African Carnivores

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

0965840 Holekamp Michigan State University IRES: U.S.-Kenya Behavioral Ecology and Conservation of African Carnivores Michigan State University (MSU) Distinguished Professor Kay Holekamp will launch a 3-year International Research Experience for Students (IRES) project that builds on a strong, well-established scientific program of carnivore research in Kenya. Each year, four top US undergraduates will be selected from a nation-wide pool of applicants to conduct field research on spotted hyenas and other African carnivores. There is no other comparable field research-training program available that offers US undergraduate students the chance to study the biology of free-living African carnivores in one of the world's most magnificent game parks. The IRES students will help expand the current research focus from single-species to a much richer comparative analysis of multiple sympatric species that inhabit the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem; IRES will also foster a training partnership with three highly experienced Kenyan scientists at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Nairobi, all of whom will mentor the US students. Aided by the mentoring team, the students will address a broad array of hypothesis- driven research questions about the behavior, conservation and physiology of African carnivores, ranging from the evolution of their cognitive abilities to anthropogenic effects on their stress physiology. Before departure, students will participate in a rigorous web-based research and cultural orientation, and Swahili language training. In-country, they will train initially at the Kenya Wildlife Service HQ, and then transit to the tented research camp in the Masai Mara National Reserve where they will spend seven weeks developing and executing the research. Before leaving Kenya, the students will present their work at the Carnivore Researchers Conference held each year at the KWS HQ. The research opportunities offered here are unparalleled, not only to investigate the biology of several carnivore species that remain poorly understood, but also to make important contributions in the intellectual domains of behavioral ecology, stress physiology, and conservation biology. It is expected that IRES student research will shed considerable new light on the basic mechanisms by which African carnivores interact with their environments and with one another. This newly acquired knowledge will be widely disseminated via conference presentations and publication in professional journals, and will be applied directly to carnivore management and conservation efforts in Kenya. For reference: http://www.naturalscience.msu.edu/students/undergraduate/enhance_your_experience/undergraduate_research/index.html Additionally, participants in IRES will learn a great deal about African life and culture, and about the complexities associated with carnivore conservation in a developing country. By fostering long-lasting friendships and collaborations between Kenyans and Americans, this experience will contribute significantly to the development of a new generation of global scientists who are united in their desire to understand and protect the natural world.