Tell us about your background. 

I am Melanie Wangui Maina, a wildlife veterinarian. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from Egerton University in Njoro, Kenya. After graduating from Egerton I did a 1 year internship at Kenya Wildlife Service at Mount Kenya Mobile Veterinary Unit where I was wildlife veterinary intern. During my internship I worked with many wildlife species within the Laikipia ecosystem such as rhinos, elephants, baboons, giraffes, lions, mountain bongos, cheetahs, leopards, buffalos, impalas, waterbucks, bushbucks, hyenas and zebras. During my internship at KWS I gained hands on experience in wildlife clinical interventions, translocation of wildlife, disease surveillance and control, rescue of orphaned animals, post mortem examinations, community engagement and management of human- wildlife conflict.

I came to Mpala to work with the Max Planck Institute Baboon Research Project as the Veterinary Project Manager.

What projects are you currently working on at Mpala? What are your goals?

I am currently the Veterinary Project Manager for the Max Planck Institute Baboon Research Project here at Mpala. At large, the research project aims at studying the social behaviour of wild olive baboons with a narrowing down to how baboons integrate environmental and social factors into their choices about where to sleep. I conduct health and welfare checks during baboon capture and collaring through administration and monitoring of anesthesia. I also administer treatment and perform minor surgeries on injured baboons that we encounter during the capture exercises.

What is one of your favourite things about working at Mpala?

Having conversations with the people at Mpala- both the staff and the researchers. I have had very enlightening conversations with different people, over tea, in the field and even during the short walks to the labs. These conversations have piqued my interest in research and I have been able to join various researchers in their active field visits/work thus learning and appreciating their thought processes, work, challenges and achievements.

What impact do you believe your time at Mpala will have on your professional career?

Given my background is in applied veterinary medicine, my time here at Mpala and interaction with different people in different projects has enabled me to build a skill set around research. This includes identification of information/ research gaps, formulation of research questions, application of collars, data downloads and analysis; all while observing animal welfare.