@Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
The weekend of the 25th and 26th of January this year saw the third Great Grevy’s Rally taking place, covering an area of over 25,000km² in Northern Kenya. This two-day photographic census is an ambitious citizen science endeavour that has proved effective in monitoring the status and health of the endangered and iconic Grevy’s zebra in Kenya. Close to 160 teams and a total of 500 people worked together to find and photograph as many Grevy’s zebra as they could, which resulted in more than 35,000 pictures being taken! Teams were made up of Kenyans and international citizens, government officials, researchers and conservationists, including a large contingent from the British Army base here. For some on the Rally, this was the third time they were participating, and these “old hands” were able to share their experience and tips with the first timers. Because of the extended rainy season we were experiencing at the time, the Grevy’s zebra were scattered across the landscape, and the location of zebra sightings during this census was very different to those recorded on the previous rallies.
@Mpala Research Centre
This year, the Wild Me team in the US will need longer to work on the GGR data analysis as they are developing new algorithms that will make the process for future rallies much more streamlined and less labour intensive. We therefore expect results towards the end of 2020, and will share them with you then.
Of special mention were the six US zoos (Saint Louis Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Miami Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo), that participated in the event. For many out of the sixteen people, it was their first time in Africa. GZT was privileged to host them after the rally at our field camp in Westgate Conservancy. Here, they got to experience the work that their institutions support and to connect with our team. On the last night, one of them reflected: “What I have seen, felt and experienced with GZT is inspiring and fills me with hope.”
