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Botswana

Botswana

Sunsets and Thomela

By Katherine King, Colby College   Typical days of the week don’t always apply for Round River students in Botswana. Each day brings another transect and always another adventure. One of our Saturdays, the 19th of November, started out how…

Botswana

Setswana Blog

By Caroline W. Foster, Carleton College   As part of our curricula here in Botswana we have been being taught Setswana, one of the two official languages of Botswana – the other one being English. I have particularly enjoyed this…

Botswana

Warthog Species Account

By Lori DeCarlo, University of Vermont What animal has tusks and looks like a pig? The warthog! The warthog has become my favorite animal so far while being here in Botswana, I was even a warthog for Halloween. The warthog…

Botswana

Klebogile (key-lay-bo-he-lay)

Group of Oryx.   By Kristie Weeks, University of Vermont A few years ago, I began trying to write one full page of things that I am thankful for each day. Last week, I took a break from homework and…

Botswana

Crazy for Cats

By Amber Davis, University of Vermont Unfortunately, in Botswana we have not seen any wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), so the only large predators I have seen fall under the felid category. I will admit that before coming to Africa I wanted…

Botswana

The People of Botswana

Photo by John Potenberg.   By Addison Spitzer, UVM The people of Botswana are fun to be around. In the month that we have been in Botswana, the local people are very friendly and love to share whatever they have…

Botswana

First Camp in the Bush

Leopard in tree guarding its impala kill. Photo by Kristie Weeks.   By Sam Gerdts, Saint John’s University Our camping at NG18 turned out to be an amazing experience. Our team was joined by an escort guide within the area…

Botswana

The Hornbills

Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill. Photo by Caroline Foster.   By Caroline Foster, Carleton College For fans of the Lion King, you will already be very familiar with one famous little hornbill named Zazu. The real bird itself may not be as…

Botswana

Le kae?

Adult male lion yawning. Photo by Addison Spitzer. By Amber Davis, UVM Le kae? That means “how are you doing?” in Setswana. I am doing quite fine. Fellow students and I have just reached our three-week mark here in Botswana….

Botswana

Botswana Independence Day

By Caroline Foster, Carleton College September 30th marked the 51 years of independence for Botswana, which had originally been a protectorate of the UK. According to Sixteen last year, for the 50th anniversary, the whole country started celebrating on September…

Botswana

The Road to Khwai

A male giraffe peeks over the tops of the Mopane trees. Picture by Katherine King.   By Katherine King, Colby College We have arrived at our first concession, NG18, in Khwai after a long and dusty drive. On our way,…

Botswana

Nare

By Addison Spitzer, UVM While we drove to our first field camp (Khwai, or NG18) in the Okavango delta, we came across many African animals such as the giraffe, lions, leopards, and elephants. None of these animals seemed to excite…

Botswana

Greetings from Maun, Botswana!

By Addison Spitzer, UVM We have started to adapt to the easy-going lifestyle of those who live here. We have embodied the term: ka bonya, ka bonya (slowly, slowly). On September 19th at approximately 1:15 PM, we stepped foot onto…

Botswana

Species Account: Woodland Kingfisher

Written by Ben Borgmann-Winter (Middlebury College)   Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)   Botswana is home to a great diversity of Kingfishers—nine different species from two different families, according to Birds: The Inside Story, by Rael and Héléne Loon. Over our…

Botswana

Species Profile: Giraffe

Written by Harrison Buck (Westminster College)   Common Name: Southern giraffe Latin Name: Giraffa camelopardalis Setswana Name: Thutlwa (too-twa)   Giraffa camelopardalis, commonly known as the southern giraffe, is the tallest of all land mammals, with adult males able to…

Botswana

Journey to the End of the Setata Fence Line

By Tilly Ingall, University of Vermont Written February 24, 2017   Our second stint out in the bush has seen our full immersion into field research. While Hank and Ben continue their project, interviewing people within the Herero community, the…