Info
Name: Mike Born: 1983 Education: BSc in Biology & Natural Science BA in Journalism MA in African Studies Affiliations: United States Department of Agriculture, Uganda Carnivore Program, Past Affiliations: National Geographic Society, East African Wild Life Society, Africa Geographic, Mongabay Summary: My name is Mike and I research wildlife and their habitats. That's the short version.
I currently work in the biological science field for the USDA under an agency known as Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS's role includes wildlife and plant health and protection, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, invasive species research, wildlife epidemiology, and animal care. I've also been a research assistant with the Uganda Carnivore Program since 2017, investigating the population and community dynamics of lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas in northern Queen Elizabeth National Park while assessing ongoing compensation strategies for pastoral communities in western Uganda who've lost livestock to carnivore depredation. Prior to wildlife science, I was an aspiring nature and science journalist, following in the footsteps of individuals like writer David Quammen and photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols. I was strongly influenced by their 2004 MegaTransect through Africa's Congo Basin with ecologist J. Michael Fay. This led to working as a freelance writer, independent researcher, and amateur photographer for the National Geographic Society's Voices for Wildlife from 2014 to 2018. I'd earned a BA in journalism so I could hone my writing skills and my MA in African Studies with a focus on natural resources to learn more about the a place that, in Quammen's words, "encompasses an extraordinary richness of biological diversity as well as an extraordinary richness of human cultures." Cultural curiosity dovetailed well with my longstanding fascination with fish and wildlife. I recall when I was a youngster, obsessively pouring over images in wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwagō's 1987 book Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain. It amazed me that such a place existed with so many different species. It was a number of travels through sub-Saharan Africa for the National Geographic Society, spending time with local people, volunteering my time with field biologists and rural communities, talking at length with lion biologist Craig Packer, and earning another degree in biology and natural science that transitioned me from journalism to wildlife science. Today, my love of nature and wildlife exists as a focal point for my interests in naturalistic observation/natural history and applied scientific research. I enjoy wildlife surveying, data collection, and biodiversity conservation. I also have general interests in the disciplines of biogeography, taxonomy, and temperate, boreal, and tropical forest ecology. Outside of work and research, I enjoy spending time with my wife and son, the outdoors, taking walks or hikes, exercise, and reading. With thanks and appreciation:
Family My wife & son My parents Researchers/Other Professionals Craig Packer - Director, Serengeti Lion Project David MacDonald - Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Head, Oxford University Dereck Joubert - Nationa Geographic Explorer In-Residence Moses Konde - Owner, Uganda Tours Dan Stiles - Member, IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group Mike Norton-Griffiths - Wildlife Economist Laurence Frank - Project Director, Living With Lions Glen Martin - Author & Environmental Journalist Thomas O. McShane - Senior Sustainability Scientist, Arizona State University Jonathan S. Adams - Conservation Biologist & Science Writer Philipp Henschel - Lion Program Coordinator, Panthera Luke Hunter - Executive Director, Big Cats Program, Wildlife Conservation Society Byron du Preez - Oxford University/WildCRU Hwange Big Cat Project Editors David Braun - Director, Voices for Wildlife, National Geographic Oliver Payne - Articles Editor, National Geographic George Okello - Editor, East African Wild Life Society John Nyaga - Editor, East African Wild Life Society Andy Hill - Editor, East African Wild Life Society |