Botswana

Written by Stacie Wright (University of Vermont)   We’ve spent the last week in the bush in Sankuyo. Here we did some bird monitoring and practice herbivore drives. In the mornings we woke up around sunrise and left to do…

Written by Henry (Hank) Dodge, (Colby College)   Hello world! The students of the 2017 spring semester arrived in Maun on February 2nd after over 20 exhausting hours of travel. As we were greeted by our enthusiastic (and awesome!) instructors…

By Kiley Haberman (University of Vermont)   Scorpions are among the earliest forms of land animal, and their basic body plan has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. The earliest known fossil scorpions date back 425 to…

By Kiley Haberman (University of Vermont) We were camping at the Island Safari Lodge in Maun, Botswana for a few days to prepare for our next few campsites in NG 41 in Mababe. We had a free day to catch…

By Gabriel Feinman-Riordan (College of the Atlantic)   As child I was very aware of the things that went ‘bump’ in the night. There was the boogeyman in my bedroom closet, the spooky owl outside my window, and the giant dinosaur…

By Kiley Haberman (University of Vermont)   At the eastern end of the Caprivi Strip, the Chobe River forms a border between Botswana and Namibia. While we were in Kasane in April, we got the chance to take a river boat…

By Siri Vlasic (Westminster College)   The Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is one of the largest and most striking antelopes in the Okavango Delta. They can live to be up to 7-8 years old and are found in a wide…

By Siri Vlasic (Westminster College) Written April 11, 2016. After finishing up our 17 days in the Mababe concession area (NG41), we made our way to Khwai (NG19) where we are spending 8 days continuing herbivore monitoring and collecting data…

Written by Ben Szydlowski (University of Vermont)   The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is one of the most iconic mammal species on the planet. Listed as an endangered species, one-third of the African elephant population resides in Botswana. Botswana, and…

Written March 17, 2016 By Laurel Martinez (University of Vermont)   The abundance of wildlife in Botswana is truly astounding. On our first drive into the bush, we encountered countless different species of mammals and birds. With eyes glued to…

By Laurel Martinez (University of Vermont) Every Round River student partakes in writing “Grinnell journals” to document their observations in the natural world, as part of our Natural History and Field Methods courses. The Grinnell System was initiated by Joseph…

Written by Gabriel Feinman-Riordan (College of the Atlantic)   There are many quintessential animals one associates with Sub-Saharan Africa. One of these animals is undoubtedly the zebra. Their unique striped pattern makes them easy to identify and easy to love….

By Siri Vlasic (Westminster College) The past few days have been full of activities and excitement. A few days ago we spent our last night in Sankuyo. In the morning Kaggie, Innocent, Ben, and I woke up early to finish…

Written March 9, 2016 By Laurel Martinez (University of Vermont) Photos by Ben Szydlowski.   Dumela from Botswana! The group has just moved from Camp Dibatana to a new campsite in the bush west of Sankuyo village. After a day…

By Gabriel Feinman-Riordan (College of the Atlantic) To put it mildly my time here in Botswana has been a thrilling adventure. The few relaxing moments I’ve had here have been interrupted by either a herd of elephants, a bizarre new…

Feb 27, 2016 Written by Ben Szydlowski (University of Vermont)   Greetings from Camp Dibatana in the Ngamiland district of Northern Botswana! After spending the first four days in the town of Maun it’s finally time to be in the middle…

By Drew Stazesky (University of Vermont) Imagine a dwarf antelope, reddish in color with absurdly large ears and small, delicately spiked horns (on the male only). Individuals don’t stand more than 60cm tall and weigh an average of 13.2kg. And when…

“A Pig in the Hand” By Sierra Moen (Middlebury College)   Vehi, Forrest, Lauren, Louise, and I had nearly completed a transect near Chobe National Park when we heard a strange, pig-like noise coming from the scrub. I chalked it…