Aberdares is montane forests situated on the equator. The park is lush and full of trees, making it hard to view animals. However, the park is inhabitated by plethora of mammals and birds. Through our hikings in the park, we were able to see upclose and personally most of the big mammals, except the elusive bongo and over 40 species of birds.
Project:
A fellow student and I were field assistants for a graduate student, Alina Kipchumba, in Aberdares NP. Here, we looked at patch use and foraging behavior of the endangered black rhinos. Our team included the three of us and the anit-poaching, rhino tracker rangers of Aberdares NP, with our plant specialist, Ambasa. We hiked for ten hour days through the lush montane forests of the park. During the hike, we would look for signs of rhinos and collect data on foraged plants, such as the height and diameter of the bite, and the species of the plant. In addition, Kerry and I conducted an independent project under Alina's guidance on diminishing returns. This project looked at the ratio of leaves (edible fodder) to bark (basically undigestible) and the effect on foraging decisions in rhinos.
Our Team:
Chelelgo Myself Ambasa
