Department of Zoology

An engaging sample of blog posts by graduate students from the Holekamp hyena lab in the Masai Mara, Kenya, is the focus of an article in MSU Alumni magazine (Winter 2009).

Zoology professor Kay Holekamp is one of the world's leading experts on the spotted hyena. Holekamp's graduate students help collect data in Kenya year round to support research in the areas of disease ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation. This past summer, some of Holekamp's students started "Notes from Kenya," a blog of which select posts are featured in this month's special global/study abroad edition of MSU Alumni Magazine.

The six-page article includes daily chronicles of life at "Fisi Camp" ("Fisi" is the Masai word for hyena) as well as stunning photographs taken by the students. From a hyena "birth announcement" to 'games that animals play' to what it means to be 'a Masai,' this cross-continental blog delivers all the elements of a truly great read - a breathtaking setting, compelling scientific questions, an engaging cast of characters (mammals and others) and the quest for knowledge.

The blog posts featured in the article are by Zoology doctoral students Leslie Curren, Andy Flies, and Kate Shaw.

See what's happening at Fisi Camp:

Go to blog now: Notes From Kenya: MSU Hyena Research

(MSU Alumni members visit MSU Alumni Magazine to access article: Winter 2009; pgs. 28-33)