Every year on February 2, we celebrate Groundhog Day. But what are groundhogs, and why do they have their own holiday?

Groundhogs (a.k.a. woodchucks) are medium-sized rodents, typically weighing 7–10 pounds. Common through much of the eastern United States and Canada, they have a brushy tail, mottled brown fur and short legs, which give their movement a characteristic “waddle.” Groundhogs are active during the day and prefer to eat vegetation such as clover, dandelions, alfalfa and garden crops. They dig burrows in which they rest, raise young and hide out from predators. These food preferences and burrowing behavior can often cause conflict with humans.

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A view of the mountains

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International office and guest house is located in Musanze District, just 30 minutes from Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. It’s a well-run facility—with a lab for endocrinology. I stayed there with Zoo Atlanta post-doctoral fellow Winnie Eckhart, who was trained to do fecal-hormone extractions in Lincoln Park Zoo’s endocrinology lab.

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Halfway through the field season, Chunde and I had been out in the field non-stop for more than eight weeks rechecking 2010 study dogs in Buyubi and Nangale villages. We were totally ready for a little break and a walk on the wild side...

One of the things we’d both been looking forward to was a game drive. And Serengeti did not disappoint. There’d been lots of rain recently so the whole place was green, lush and full of animals. Simply spectacular! In just a short 30 minutes we saw wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, all sorts of gazelles, lions and hyenas. And just as we were heading home right at dusk, we even saw a cheetah on the prowl!

Wildebeest on the grasslands

A lion on the plains

A cheetah!

It was great to relax and enjoy the Serengeti wildlife, which offered a great reminder as to why I’m out here in the first place. Lincoln Park Zoo’s work here with the domestic-dog vaccination program and my research helps protect dogs, people and children from the deadly rabies virus. Moreover, this project ensures the health, diversity and beauty of the Serengeti ecosystem by protecting the amazing wildlife of Serengeti National Park against rabies.

Anna Czupryna

Chicago winters are tough on wildlife. Unfortunately, they’re also pretty tough on the field biologists who venture out into the cold to learn about wildlife.

Research Coordinator Liza Watson Lehrer in winter gear.

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Lesanna, Anna, Felix and I went to visit Felix’s research cattle herd in Simanjiro, which is south of Arusha. Felix has hired six Maasai men to monitor the herd. His research project involves determining the effectiveness of a vaccine for the prevention of the disease malignant catarrhal fever.

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