Lincoln Park Zoo

Serengeti Health Initiative

Serengeti Health Initiative

The Serengeti ecosystem encompasses the diversity of the African plains. Herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles sustain themselves on the area's rich grasslands. Predators such as lions and African wild dogs hunt along the savanna, preying on herbivores as they follow the Serengeti's rainfall. Elephants and rhinos charge over the plains; crocodiles and hippopotamuses make their home in the waters.

But while protected areas, such as Tanzania's Serengeti National Park and Kenya's Maasai Mara National Park, provide a haven for wildlife, habitat loss, climate change, human impact and disease continue to threaten this unparalleled ecosystem.

The Serengeti Health Initiative, led by Lincoln Park Zoo, aims to preserve the region's rich wildlife while also benefiting local people. Incorporating wildlife surveillance, vaccination programs and research on how wild animals, domestic animals and humans interact, this collaborative conservation effort is dedicated to building a better understanding of the Serengeti ecosystem, one that can help keep it healthy and whole.

The Serengeti Health Initiative: Eliminating Rabies

A man carries his dog to be vaccinated.

Vaccinating dogs is hazardous at the best of times, but when the dogs in question are semi-feral, a whole new level of skill and speed is needed. One must approach the dog from behind, syringe in hand, and the vaccination needs to be completed in a single-handed rapid action. If you do it well, the dog often doesn’t even know s/he has been vaccinated, but get it slightly wrong, and you may have a snapping jaw aimed at your hand.

Incredibly, by the end of my three days working with the Lincoln Park Zoo–sponsored rabies vaccination team, hundreds of dogs had been vaccinated yet not one team member had been bitten.

Posted on 9 November 2009 | 3:44 pm

Author Alexander McCall Smith Visits Serengeti

Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, visited the Serengeti in June to showcase his support for rabies vaccination efforts managed by Lincoln Park Zoo.

McCall Smith and his wife were hosted by Sarah Cleaveland, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Glasgow, Lincoln Park Zoo collaborator and director of the Alliance for Rabies Control. Cleaveland developed the existing infrastructure for the domestic-dog vaccination project and continues to link the project to Tanzania’s larger rabies eradication programs.

Read about McCall Smith’s visit in the Alliance for Rabies Control Newsletter (link opens a PDF).

Posted on 2 October 2009 | 3:03 pm

Lincoln Park Zoo Supports World Rabies Day

Today marks the third annual World Rabies Day. This event, organized by the Alliance for Rabies Control, is aimed at raising awareness about the impact of rabies on people and animals as well as the importance of vaccination programs to prevent the disease.

As part of our Serengeti Health Initiative, Lincoln Park Zoo is leading efforts to vaccinate domestic dogs in Tanzania’s Serengeti region, preventing the spread of the disease among dogs, people and wildlife. You can learn more about the zoo’s efforts—and how you can help—at www.lpzoo.org/serengeti.

Posted on 28 September 2009 | 1:17 pm