In my final three weeks at Mpala Research Centre, I was able to become more involved in the work being undertaken by my peers in my last few weeks at Mpala. This included spending time watching baboon troops and learning about their social dynamics, as well as understanding the coordination of zebra herds (known as a dazzle) running across the landscape (as they were chased by students from Princeton). These moments, while sometimes outside the core leopard project, helped deepen my understanding of the broader ecosystem in which this research is embedded. I also gained a much greater appreciation of the diversity of ongoing research and methods of study at Mpala by learning more about the different projects being carried out by researchers and visiting students. This gave me a much better understanding of how conservation research is built through collaboration between people with different expertise, experiences and perspectives.
One of the most rewarding parts of my final weeks at Mpala was realising how much I had come full circle. Early in my placement I had helped reset and deploy camera traps across the conservancy - towards the end of my stay I was able to return to these locations collecting the SD cards from those same cameras and seeing the data that had been generated over the last month. It was a small but meaningful reminder of both how individual fieldwork tasks contribute to much larger research programmes, how far I had come, and how the landscape had shifted during my time in Kenya.
I was fortunate enough to experience the practical side of leopard conservation more directly, including supporting the team during the capture and collaring of a leopard and working alongside the Kenya Wildlife Service. Seeing the process first-hand brought together so many of the things I had learned throughout my placement: field ecology, animal behaviour, technology, teamwork, logistics and the importance of collaboration between researchers and conservation practitioners. It also gave me a much greater appreciation of the responsibility involved in collecting data that ultimately contributes to real conservation decisions.
Looking back, perhaps the biggest lesson I am taking home is that conservation is not one discipline or one type of work. My placement has taken me from camera trapping and wildlife monitoring, to genomics and DNA sequencing, to understanding the importance of community engagement and working alongside conservation authorities. Each experience provided a different perspective, but together they showed me how interconnected conservation really is.
I am incredibly grateful to the Mpala field team, researchers, students, SDZWA and KWS and everyone else who welcomed me, shared their knowledge and made this experience possible. I arrived at Mpala hoping to learn about conservation research; I left with a much broader understanding of what conservation means, and a renewed interest in how molecular science, ecology and community-based approaches can work together.
Although my LIA placement has now come to an end, I know the experience will continue to shape my academic and career journey. I am taking home not only new scientific and field skills, but also a deeper appreciation for collaboration, adaptability, curiosity and the people at the heart of conservation.