Flying into Serengeti. That tiny beige strip is the Seronera landing strip.

Five checked bags…yes, FIVE checked bags later, I have arrived back in Tanzania for my now third field season studying free-roaming domestic dog population dynamics near Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. What could I possibly need five bags for, you ask? Ah, they’re full of test tubes, a centrifuge, sealable plastic bags, dog treats, soccer balls, camera traps and retractable pens (losing pen caps can be quite troublesome in the bush).

Full story »

Field Assistant Chunde Bigambo (lower left) and Research Associate Anna Czupryna pose with some happy recipients.

Research Associate Anna Czupryna is getting ready for another field season in the Serengeti, where she studies domestic dog populations as part of a zoo-led rabies vaccination program. Part of her prep involves ordering another batch of One World Futbols to donate to study villages near Serengeti National Park. “They’re a great way to thank the villages that work with us!” she says.

Members of the vaccination team walk from boma to boma to vaccinate the Serengeti's dogs. The region's people, pets and predators are protected by the zoo-led campaign.

Walking from boma to boma—Maasai household to household—vaccinating domestic dogs as a member of the Serengeti Health Initiative field team, it’s impossible not to be awestruck by the beauty of the landscape that surrounds Piyaya village east of Serengeti National Park.

Full story »

Last week the Lincoln Park Zoo-led Serengeti Health Initiative vaccinated its 1 millionth dog! This conservation milestone reflects the zoo’s commitment to protecting the Serengeti’s people, pets and predators from diseases such as rabies and canine distemper. Get a full look at Vaccination Day with this 2010 slideshow.

Zebras. Elephants. Mountain gorillas. Researcher Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., shares photos of wildlife sightings—and zoo work to save species—from her conservation trip to Tanzania and Rwanda.