The Living Desert Visits Tanzania with Wild Nature Institute

We spent a wonderful two days with Mike Chedester, Director of Education for the Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Palm Desert, California. The Living Desert is generously supporting Wild Nature Institute's "Celebrating Africa's Giants" environmental education program to conserve Africa's mega-herbivores giraffes, elephants, and rhinoceroses.

Mike Chedester, Jacob Porokwa, Derek Lee, Lise Levy, and Monica Bond

Wild Nature Institute's Monica Bond and Lise Levy and MAA's Enock Chengullah and Jacob Porokwa brought Mike to visit 4 primary schools and 2 secondary schools in the Tarangire-Manyara region where we have been implementing giraffe-themed educational programs. The teachers and students were warm and welcoming and we all had a wonderful time.

Student from Tumaini Secondary School shows Mike Chedester the giraffe posters made by Wild Nature Institute.

Mike Chedester with teacher and students from Tumaini Secondary School in Makuyuni.

Monica Bond with students from Lowassa Secondary School in Makuyuni, holding a drawing made by the student.

The Living Desert is not only financially supporting our giraffe education program in Tanzania, but they are implementing the program at the zoo and in schools in Palm Desert, including using our children's book Juma the Giraffe to teach about giraffe physiology, ecology, and conservation. This creates a bridge between Tanzanian and American children as they simultaneously explore the unique beauty of this magnificent mega-herbivore. On October 1, the Living Desert is launching their 'Year of the Giraffe' with fun and games and lots of cool information about giraffes. Giraffe scientist and Wild Nature Institute's California program director David Brown will be speaking at the kick-off event as part of the Desert Conservation Speaker Series.