On October 20, 2022, Wildlife Conservation Warrior Club members from the Oromoidei and Noolotoro Primary Schools participated in an exciting Conservation Nation-sponsored field trip. As part of Dr. Dawn Zimmerman’s ongoing Conservation Nation grant project, the students received an educational tour of the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) Matthews Range in-situ conservation field research site in Samburu County, Kenya. IPR’s work monitoring some of Kenya’s rarest primate species, the Percival’s guereza and De Brazza’s monkey, has been ongoing for over a decade. Lead conservation scientists Drs. Danson Mwangi and Stanislaus Kivai with expertise in anthropology and conservation biology respectively, have ensured that the project is largely driven by the local people, training and engaging field assistants to be part of the project. However, historically, children have not been actively involved or largely exposed to these conservation efforts. Mr. John Lentanyishe—head teacher of the Oromoidei Primary School and patron of the Wildlife Conservation Warrior Clubs—joined the children as they toured the site. Afterward, he described how impactful the experience had been for the students. 

Mr. Lentanyishe recalled how the day began with an exciting activity that was a first for most of the pupils—riding in a car! He stated that the students found the tour “fascinating” and that the field site was a great place to view biodiversity and learn about wildlife—specifically birds, trees, and monkeys. Although the children had learned about endangered Percival’s guereza and De Brazza’s monkeys during the Conservation Nation-sponsored school workshops earlier in the fall, Mr. Lentanyishe pointed out that most of them had never seen either primate in the wild until they toured the IPR site. He reported that the students were enthralled with them and often tried to share their snacks with the curious monkeys. Fortunately, he noted that the field guide Mr. Adamson Lerinkat used these moments to teach the children about monkey behavior and why it can be detrimental to feed wild primates.