After a week in Arusha at the biannual research conference of the Tanzanian Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), our party arrived in Seronera, the main camp in the Serengeti, where Lincoln Park Zoo coordinates the Serengeti Health Initiative.

The party consisted of numerous zoo staff—Rachel Santymire (Director of the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology), Felix Lankester (Director of Tanzanian Programs), Colleen O’Donnell (Field Conservation Coordinator)—as well as colleagues from Princeton University (Andy Dobson), Glasgow University (Sarah Cleaveland, Tiziana Lembo and Meggan Craft), and Penn State (Pete Hudson).

All of us descended en masse by land and by air to the Serengeti Research Institute where we rent a research house from TAWIRI. The house is beautifully built, but unlike what most Americans are accustomed to, it’s up to the tenant to maintain the building out in the African bush.

Follow up:

Although the Serengeti is one of the most beautiful and amazing places one can spend time, there are numerous infrastructural challenges and associated lessons with living here. Things like power, water and refrigeration—as well as bat-, snake- and baboon-proofness—should not be taken for granted.

Lesson One: As it turns out, water is used to do many things during everyday life, such as brushing teeth, making tea, doing laundry, cooking, taking a bath...and flushing toilets. Last year we replaced the holding tanks/ cisterns and water pumps for the house, which took about $4,000 away from the project.

Another interesting challenge is electricity, which is supplied by a large generator during the evenings and by solar power the rest of the time. This year, we will invest in an inverter system as a battery-powered backup system. This will allow for consistent lighting, hot water, computing and refrigeration (something we will also purchase), which it turns out is key to keeping food cold and unspoiled!

Lesson Two: Close the doors! Wild animals live on your porch and in the back yard! We have an incredibly cute family of dwarf mongooses living next to our porch that provide hours of entertainment. We’ve also had bats in the roof, and baboons sneak into improperly closed doors and windows…think about that birthday party you recently hosted in your living room for 30 or so children not yet potty trained!

Finally, there are many interesting lessons to be learned in the bush regarding the “facilities.” Although we have a beautiful bathtub and toilet, those things use abundant water. Thus, the outhouse with long-drop is for day-use, saving indoor plumbing for nighttime when lions and buffalo roam the neighborhood!

The combination of a gas stove, a bucket and decent bathtub provide for a fantastic warm bucket bath while conserving water that is either collected from rain or trucked into the park at high expense. Thus, the basic amenities exist, although not in the same style of convenience we are used to.

Overall, the Serengeti research housing is good but costly (especially since research grants for plumbing and lights are hard to find). However, with small adjustments, patience and a sense of humor, you can relax and watch the sun go down over the savanna while enjoying a hot cup of tea after a long day of work.

Dominic Travis