When important people are given honorary academic degrees or prestigious awards, the audience is often well dressed, quiet, and listen attentively as the awardee stands behind a lectern and gives a speech. However, when Richard Farrar, the director of the San Diego Zoo, was welcomed into the Samburu family, the ceremony was anything but quiet and sedate!

Over the last few years, the San Diego Zoo has made substantial contributions to conservation and community development in Kenya. A number of conservancies have been established in the area north of Mount Kenya and they operate under the umbrella of the Northern Rangelands Trust. The area is home to the largest population of the endangered Grevy's zebra, as well as black rhinos, African elephants, wild dogs, cheetahs, and many other species. Our support all along has been to not only benefit the wildlife in the region but also to improve the lives of the local people through conservation. And it's working: the people are very appreciative of our efforts and the improvements their communities have seen.

Last month, Richard, Carmi Penny (Zoo curator of mammals), and the two of us went to Kenya. Our goal was to work with the local communities on drafting a long-term strategic plan that would involve meshing a conservation science study of African elephants with community development and ecosystem preservation. Upon arrival at the Westgate Community, unbeknown to us, a special ceremony had been planned to initiate us into the Samburu community.

The Samburu women were dressed in their best outfits. We met them near the river bank and they led us in a procession, chanting and dancing all the way, to the sandy side of the river. After we arrived, the moran, or warriors, who were also dressed in their best outfits, began their part of the welcoming tradition. If you think that basketball players can jump high, you should have see the moran hopping two to three feet off the ground!! However, the ceremony was not for us to observe "“ because we were becoming Samburu, we had to participate. So we joined in the swaying, chanting, dancing, and jumping. If you think that all the Zoo director does is sit behind a desk and push paperwork, you need to guess again. Richard was hopping along with his new Samburu brothers, arm in arm!! After the dancing, all four of us were given bright red patterned kushombiri, or Samburu robes, to mark our welcome into the community. Truly, sisi familia moja, or " we are one family."

Fred Bercovitch is head of the Behavioral Biology Division, CRES
Jeff Andrews is animal care manager of elephants, Wild Animal Park

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