Learning Is Hip. Oh.

Throughout the year, the Pangani Forest Conservation School and Wildlife Sanctuary plays host to groups of school children, hoping to introduce them to the wonder of their animal neighbors. Sometimes, those children write or send pictures to the school staff to express their appreciation. The drawings on display above are from Ms. Debra Murang'a's class at Matumaini Primary School. The sentiment expressed in her letter reinforces the main focus of the Pangani Sanctuary: "Many of my students come from urban areas and have little contact with our native wildlife. I think this outing helped them realize what a wonderful heritage the animals of Harambe represent."

The researchers do their part to help educate the children when they visit. After all, if the next generation of Harambeans has a passion for conservation, the important research work being done today will be able to continue. To that end, props and tools can occasionally be found along the trail that help illustrate some of the work they're doing.

One of the biggest projects currently underway involves a study of hippos, one of the most dangerous and misunderstood animals in all of Africa. Substantial grants acquired by Dr. Kulunda over the years have allowed the Pangani team to construct a dam along a stretch of the Safi River, so hippos may be observed below the water as well as from above. The dam is starting to show its age, however. It has sprung a couple of leaks on the far side, creating a tiny stream of water through the observation area (an intentional effect which has been turned off of late, due to drought-induced water restrictions in Central Florida).

In a corner of the observation area by the dam is a cabinet of video equipment belonging to researcher Morris Kyengo. Morris and his partner Will Carr-Hartley are studying the hippo population and the animals' ability to communicate underwater. Clips from their documentation video is playing on the monitor in the cabinet. (In a bit of Hidden Disney, some of the footage seen here is actually taken from Disney's 1955 True-Life Adventure film The African Lion.)

The researchers' notes on bulletin boards in the area point out some observations they've made in regards to hippo territoriality and the ways in which hippos help local ecosystems:

For one thing, the hippos are nocturnal grazers, keeping area grasslands healthy and growing. All that grass they eat ends up enriching the river in the form of hippo dung, helping to increase the populations of tilapia and cichlids, fish that feed on the organic material (yuck, I know).

Adam Mathenge, another researcher, has been fascinated with the study of cichlids for years. He's currently here in Harambe, where the dammed sections of the river allow him to study the fish up close underwater, but he's also spent time observing various species of rock cichlid in Africa's Lake Victoria.