Abby, from Michigan to the Masai Mara
- Ximena Neri
- Feb 26, 2019
- 4 min read
Wohoo! Our first interview is with an amazing woman starting an outstanding career in carnivore conservation! Heading to the Masai Mara to work with spotted hyenas this summer, Abby shares with us her thoughts about coexisting with large carnivores and her future as a conservationist.
Full of talent and passion, Abby comes from a small town in Michigan, USA, and is graduating this May from TWO bachelor degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife, and Zoology. If that was not enough, she works alongside Dr. Kay Holekamp in the Hyena Lab at Michigan State University and will be visiting the Masai Mara just after she graduates. In a few words, she is only 22 and living the dream!
Ambition and courage are natural to her. She is driven to become a researcher, scientist, conservationist, environmentalist, etc, etc. who helps people understand the animals they have to coexists with and help them gain the tools to handle the conflict they deal with on a daily basis. I am certain she will do all of this and more.
"I don’t know where my life will take me, but I do know that I am ungodly passionate about conservation and I want to protect our species and people as much as I can.". -Abby, 2019.
Q&A with Abby
Q: From your perspective, which is the greatest challenge to overcome in the conservation of your study species?
A: For spotted hyenas specifically, it is the public perception and how people view them. Most people will say that hyenas are nasty, unlovable, trash monsters, scavengers but in reality, these animals are social, caring, and incredibly intelligent. Many people in East African countries specifically will see that a hyena is related to the devil just because of traditions but the lab I work for has been changing the views on these species for 33 years. We have to be communicative, open about our research and open to discussion with many locals so they see what we see in these animals.
Q: If you had endless financial support, which actions would you take to conserve your species?
A: I want the locals to be a part of conservation efforts. I want to be someone that becomes a part of the local communities and to discuss what actions they want to take and what I can do to help them. A large issue in conservation is having US and UK conservationists going over to these countries to tell the locals how to live their lives. As conservationists we need to be involved with the human dimensions or the species we love, will not survive. Humans are not separate so whatever money I can get I would put it towards allowing for more area for humans and carnivores to coexist, better education of wildlife and the ecosystems they reside in, and being able to be an essential tool for locals and the hyenas.
Q: How would you describe the importance of women in wildlife conservation and the challenges we face?
A: Women are essential for every field. In ours in particular we are needed to show diversity, that we are strong and we can make changes with compassion and love. Honestly, it is so important that we have representation of many women from many different backgrounds involved so we can show young girls how we can do science, how women can be scientists who go out and collar animals, who can do computer programming and who can make exponential differences in the world. We need women to help other women in societies where genital mutilation, rape, arranged marriages and sex trafficking are still so prevalent. We need to show other women that we are able to fight any and all adversity that comes our way and we can still succeed. Conservation was set up for men and by men and that needs to be flipped. We can do everything we want, everything we are told we can’t do and everything we put our minds too.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Will you be working for wildlife conservation?
A: I have so many goals but I am hoping in 10 years I will be travelling around helping many other countries tackle human wildlife conflict and/or wildlife trafficking. I want to make changes and I think I can do that at the university or non profit levels. I am spending a year in Kenya when I graduate, then I am hoping to join the Peace Corps for two years. After that I am hoping to get my masters in Wildlife Biology/Human Dimensions and hopefully from there I can work for state agencies, non profits or a university. I don’t know where my life will take me, but I do know that I am ungodly passionate about conservation and I want to protect our species and people as much as I can.
I am positive we will be hearing soon great news from Abby and her successful career in research, conservation and human-wildlife coexistence. We are looking forward to read your stories from the Masai Mara and hyenas!
Be sure to follow Abby on Twitter: https://twitter.com/abigailthiemkey and don´t forget to read more about her experiences in her personal blog https://abigailrthiemkey.weebly.com/.
-Xim Neri
If you know an amazing conservationist working for human-wildlife coexistence (probably it´s you) whose story you´d love to read, do not hesitate to contact me at carlaxneri@gmail.com to arrange an interview!
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