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Cornell University

Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center
for Wildlife Health

Blog

Blogs from the Field

A healthy future for wildlife, people, and planet.

Ava kneels next to a sedated lion lying on the ground at night. The lion’s face is partially covered with a cloth, and Ava is holding a bag of medical supplies, smiling at the camera. A vehicle is visible in the background.
Wild Carnivores The Student Experience
Namibia
DNA Samples
Lion
Veterinary Student
Fieldwork
Free-ranging Wildlife Conservation
University of Namibia
Expanding Horizons
Community Livelihoods
hyena
Skeleton Coast
Brown Hyena Project
Carnivore
Wild Carnivores
Carnivore Populations
Data
jackals
Lead
Etosha National Park
Etosha Ecological Institute
Elephant
Poaching
Black Rhino
wildebeest
dehorning
Applied Research
Human-Wildlife Conflict

From Books to the Bush: How Namibia Transformed My Veterinary Education

October 02, 2025
It’s 3 a.m. in the Namibian bush. A team of us circles around a sedated lion to take DNA samples while two other male lions lurk nearby. We haven’t gotten an ounce of sleep, and I haven’t had a hot meal in a week, but I've never felt more alive than at this moment....
A rhinoceros walking through dry grassland with dense green shrubs and trees in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.
Beyond Fences
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability
Greater One-horned Rhinoceros
African Savanna
Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp
Savanna Science Network Meeting
Kruger National Park
Rhino
Rhinos
Poaching
Ecosystem
Free-ranging Wildlife Conservation
Biodiversity
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecologist
Aerial Darting
African Wildlife
Black Rhino
One-Horned Rhino
Threatened Species
One Health

My Rhinoceros Teacher

July 02, 2025 by Margaret Swift
As dawn yawns and stretches over the African savanna, a line of cars waits impatiently at the wooden gate of Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp. I join the tail end in my tiny white rental car...
Stacy Kanek with Happy the Damara sheep.
The Student Experience
Cheetah Conservation Fund
Cheetah
Cheetahs
Student Experience
Student
Student Learning
Students
Conservation
Conservation Biology
Namibia
Africa
Human Conflict
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Poaching
Habitat Loss
Community-based conservancy
One Health
Wildlife-livestock Interactions
Future Farmers of Africa
Livestock Guardian Dog
Expanding Horizons
Expanding Horizons Program
Cornell Expanding Horizons

Fast and Furry-ous: Cheetah Conservation in Namibia

August 01, 2023
Cheetahs have long been my favorite animal, so it is no surprise that in March of 2023, I embarked on a 49-hour journey to the country with the largest population of cheetahs. I have wanted to work with cheetahs since I was five years old....