Conservation beyond the classroom
Photos courtesy of Alex Cassu and Chloe Schaffel February 23, 2024
91原创 students embark on Tanzania study abroad, experience wildlife conservation and Indigenous cultures first-hand
During Winter Session, classrooms extended beyond the 91原创鈥檚 Newark campus when Blue Hens embarked on a one-of-a-kind study abroad adventure to northern Tanzania. Led by Jake Bowman, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, 91原创 students lived in the heart of Tanzania and gained a hands-on wildlife conservation education that transformed them into passionate advocates.
Bowman began taking a group of adventurous undergraduates to Tanzania for a deep dive into African wildlife and culture in 2004 and led his 11th group this past January. Speak to any of the 91原创 wildlife ecology and conservation majors who have participated in the program, and you鈥檒l quickly understand these courses鈥 immense popularity.
In Conservation of African Wildlife (ENWC452) and Community-Based Conservation (ENWC453), students go up-close-and-personal with native African wildlife and the Indigenous groups that inhabit northern Tanzania, including the Maasai, Iraqw and Hadza.
鈥淲e went on safari every day,鈥 said Alex Cassu, a senior wildlife ecology and conservation major. 鈥淲e got to see all of the animals in real time and observe all their behaviors.鈥
鈥淲e were surrounded by wildlife at all times,鈥 said Brenden Scranton, a junior wildlife ecology and conservation major. 鈥淎t night you could hear a lion off in the distance and the hyenas talking to each other. One night a honey badger even tried to break into one of the tents.鈥
Not only were students getting such an intensive education on African wildlife, they were alongside peers that shared a similar passion for wildlife and conservation.聽
鈥淢ost people who go on safari are just there to see the big mammals,鈥 said Chloe Schaffel, a senior wildlife ecology and conservation major. 鈥淏ut what I enjoyed most was, between those big mammals, everyone that was there had such a passion for even the smaller animals.鈥澛
鈥淲e went out on hikes to look for birds and tried to count how many different species we could see,鈥 added Jacob Ukropec, a senior environmental science major. 鈥淚t was an amazing time.鈥
The program allows students to fully immerse themselves in Tanzanian wildlife, creating a completely different learning experience than what they could get sitting in a classroom.聽
鈥淚t would be hard to teach those courses without experiencing these things firsthand,鈥 Bowman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to talk about some of these things in the classroom, but actually going out there and experiencing it has much more of an impact than just talking about it in class.鈥澛
While students did complete course assignments, the focus was on how students could get the most experiential learning.
鈥淚鈥檓 more of a hands-on type of learner, and Dr. Bowman gives everybody the opportunity to be very hands-on and experience things for themselves,鈥 Ukropec said.聽
鈥淚 was never stressed about getting work done,鈥 Cassu added. 鈥淒r. Bowman really just wanted us to be in it and live and experience it all.鈥澛
A primary course objective is teaching these future conservation professionals how they can make wildlife conservation valuable to the people living alongside it. For wildlife conservation to truly work, local people must live harmoniously with the environment around them. Many of these Tanzanian groups developed techniques to effectively use the environment while also allowing it to thrive. According to Bowman, the Maasai preserve grazing areas so that their cattle will have somewhere to feed during a dry season. They keep these lands under protection, so they end up being areas where wildlife can really thrive.
鈥淪omething that was really interesting was that the Massai processed a goat in front of us,鈥 Ukropec said. 鈥淭hey showed us how they use the entire animal; it definitely showed me how much we waste [back at home].鈥澛
Other Indigenous groups in the area found ways to work with the wildlife while hunting or foraging for food.聽
鈥淚n the Hadza tribe, the men make bows and arrows to hunt wildlife that crosses their path,鈥 Cassu said. 鈥淭hey also hunt for honey using honey guides, which are birds that they communicate with and the birds will lead them to the bees.鈥
Giving students these new experiences commonly changes their perspective on how different places conserve wildlife.
鈥淎fter this course, students are gonna think about conservation in a different way, and they鈥檒l bring that mindset with them when looking at conservation issues here at home,鈥 Bowman said.聽
鈥淭he tribes all have different methods of how they can conserve wildlife and land, while still living in it,鈥 Cassu noted. 鈥淭he balance they had between them and the wildlife was definitely cool, and I learned tactics that I can bring into my future career.鈥
Typically many field jobs in wildlife ecology and conservation require willingness to wake up early, be physically active and move with wildlife. In addition, knowledge of different conservation methods around the world can be crucial for students looking for jobs in the wildlife conservation sector.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to be so comfortable at home and think you couldn鈥檛 go live somewhere and do research there,鈥 Schaffel said. 鈥淏ut putting myself into an environment where it was so physically uncomfortable definitely was a big push in my career in wildlife ecology.鈥澛
Students are already implementing what they learned into their daily lives and future careers. This upcoming summer Scranton lined up an internship in Oregon focused on wildlife and rangelands; he鈥檚 contemplating how he can apply what he鈥檚 learned in Tanzania to his internship there.聽
鈥淚t鈥檒l be good for me to come in with a bit more background dealing with the cattle grazing, like the water requirements needed,鈥 Scranton said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see if I can help the Forest Service implement some of the conservation practices I learned in Tanzania.鈥
While developing new and innovative approaches to conservation is important, it鈥檚 also important that people in the wildlife profession understand the lives of the different people living within the environment.聽
鈥淭he Hadza really integrated us in with them,鈥 Uktropec said. 鈥淭hey taught us a bunch of different ways that they live; we even went hunting with them.鈥
鈥淸The Hadza] were very sharing and were so willing to welcome us into their lifestyle,鈥 Cassu said. 鈥淓ven though I am in wildlife ecology, experiencing the culture is really the main thing that will stick with me.鈥
After living in Tanzania alongside wildlife and native people, these Blue Hens returned to Newark for their spring semester. But they return forever changed with a more holistic view on how communities interact with wildlife and how large of an impact a wildlife professional can have.聽
鈥淲e were able to go deeper than what typical tourists can do,鈥 Cassu said. 鈥淣ot only did I learn so much about the wildlife, I gained a higher appreciation for different cultures.鈥
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