June 28, 2008 (Saturday) 10:00 P.M. Day 6 Lazarus, boma, and tusker We awoke this morning at our camp near the Maasai boma, which we planned to visit later in the day. Many of us took our first outdoor showers with fire-warmed water.  We ate a quick breakfast and then went straight to work. Some of our group stayed at camp to build relations with the remarkable Maasai children. The rest of us interviewed Lazarus Saruna, park warden and anti-poaching commander of the Tanzania National Park and Tarangire National Park. The interview with Lazarus Saruna was a wonderful opportunity that resulted from a chance meeting with him at the Sambu watering hole the day before. We felt a great connection with his profession and our mission here in Africa, as he shared his enthusiastic stories with us.  Lazarus presented a very powerful image as he sat among us with an AK-47 strapped over his shoulder.  He was friendly and very willing to help with our expedition. Interview topics ranged from the description of an average day for a poaching warden to new techniques for identifying Bushmeat (via trace identification). We also learned of the great challenges he faces in attempting to patrol vast areas as well as his passion for the native species.  Lazarus emphasized the importance of being able to accurately identify meat types in court to insure prosecution.  At the end of our interview, he expressed great interest in further Bushmeat crisis collaboration with our group.  We look forward to partnerships with individuals and organizations who share similar goals.

At the conclusion of the interview, we walked to Loibor Serrit, a nearby Maasai boma, where we gained firsthand experience of Maasai livestock raising and daily life. The evening before, we had interviewed the leader of Loibor Serrit and learned how the Maasai co-exist with local wildlife. He shared much about the Maasai culture. In turn, he was curious about the influence of technology on education in the United States. We explained to him that our journey was, in a sense, a journey back to nature, expressed, ironically, through technology. Our conversations helped develop a special relationship that made our trip to the boma both intimate and enlightening. We were able to sit in mud and cow-dung-structured dwellings and ask questions about the Maasai culture.  We bartered for our first beads and ornaments. Our resident Maasai, Steve (who had connected with the Maasai warriors the night before), bought the signature warrior spear and has carried it faithfully ever since. The great hospitality the Maasai extended to us made it difficult to leave.

We began our journey to Tarangire National Park, where we would spend the next few days.  The drive to, and through the park was an experience we shall never forget. Photos of poachers and hunted game at the ranger gate brought home how important our mission is and imposing problems are in Africa.  After exchanging information with the park rangers, we entered Tarangire. The moment we entered the park, we saw our first lion (simba), prowling in the grass. Three females, just a few feet away from our Land Rover, watched us cautiously, roared, then disappeared into the brush. As we continued our drive, our memory cards filled with pictures of impalas, Grants gazelle, hartebeest, Dik dik, Cape buffalo, Olive baboons, Maasai giraffe, Secretary birds, and more.

Our greatest excitement was the promise of seeing elephants (tembo).  Little did we know our first encounter would be with a great tusker, eating grass only feet away from our Land Rovers!  We also encountered many large adult elephants with their young in a marsh area.  Our Rovers separated some of the group and soon, we were roaring off with a large tusker right behind us, trumpeting in hot pursuit. We survived the chase and made it to the end of the park, where we were to camp for the night.

We are in a communal camp with other visitors to the park. We look forward to the nocturnal sounds in a park filled with so much wildlife. Some have already heard the zebra’s barking while others claim to have seen glowing eyes in the dark. Tomorrow, we will continue to explore Tarangire River on a game drive and see more of the region’s wildlife.

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