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

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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Lesanna, Felix and I made it into Maswa and caught up with Anna Czupryna and Chunde Bigambo, one of our Tanzanian field assistants (who came to Chicago in April 2010 through a Wildlife Without Borders grant). After a delicious dinner of rice and chips (i.e., fried potatoes), we spent the night at the Hotel Lancester (no relation to Felix!).

Research Associate Anna Czupryna records data for her project examining the impact of vaccination on domestic dogs. By vaccinating domestic dogs in the Serengeti against rabies and distemper, the zoo-led campaign protects the region's people, pets and predators.

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Rabies, a deadly viral infection, is a threat to human communities, domestic dogs and the survival of many important species, including the endangered African wild dog. In Africa, most human cases of rabies are transmitted from domestic dogs instead of wild animals such as bats or raccoons. Unfortunately, children are most commonly infected.

Residents of the Serengeti region line up to have their dogs vaccinated. The zoo-led vaccination campaign protects the Serengeti's people, pets and predators against diseases such as rabies and distemper.

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It’s my very first time to Africa, and my introduction to the wonders of Tanzania and Serengeti National Park has been simply amazing! As a veterinarian passionate about conservation medicine, it has been a treat to see more than 80 native mammals and birds in a few short hours in the Serengeti. Our sightings included a hyena out hunting at dawn, giraffes enjoying the “cleaning” services of a yellow-billed oxpecker and a tawny eagle feeding its eaglet.

Lincoln Park Zoo has helped lead conservation research projects in and around Serengeti National Park. Zoo-affiliated research promotes the health of Tanzania’s wildlife, domestic animals and human communities. Visit the Serengeti Health Initiative website to learn more about the work affiliated with our trip.

Lesanna Lahner

Lesanna Lahner, D.V.M., M.P.H., is a veterinary epidemiology fellow in Lincoln Park Zoo’s Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology.