Description

Watering holes are hubs of animal activity, providing a valuable resource in the African savanna. As bodily needs drive animals to water, they may in turn influence spatial patterns of parasite transmission. 'Nature's call' marks the continuation of both physiological and parasitic cycles.

This image was taken using a remote camera trap at one of the watering holes at Mpala Research Centre, in Laikipia County, Kenya. Camera trap surveys and dung surveys are being used to assess the level of animal activity at watering holes, as compared to control sites, across a climate gradient and over rainfall seasons. The goal of this research is to understand how water use by wildlife and domestic animals and water availability influences parasite density across the landscape.