Johanna Swaye, AG '98, was one of those animal-loving kids, always lugging home a stray and begging her parents for one more pet. From dogs to hermit crabs to guinea pigs--she loved them all.

Now, in her early 20s, Swaye continues to be fascinated by all creatures, great and small. As a research assistant for the Ligwalagwala Lion Project from 1998-2000, she moved halfway across the world to spend her days with the lions who call the reserve near Tanzania, South Africa, home.

There, Swaye had the primary responsibility for daily monitoring of two prides of lions. Each day she drove her 4x4 across the reserve and, using telemetry, tracked four radio-collared lions and recorded their activities along with others in the pride. Since the lions most often spend time at a considerable distance from the roads, that usually meant traversing a rugged terrain filled with fallen trees and aardvark holes.

The answer to exactly how one observes a pride of lions is obvious. Very carefully!

"I only worked from the 4x4," Swaye says. "Since the lions saw my vehicle on a daily basis, they could distinguish it from other vehicles and I could get within a meter of them. Still, you always have to be aware of their warning signals--watch the position of their ears, their tail movements, their mouths, eyes and teeth. You know if you see their teeth bared, it's time to back off. If they give you the look that says, 'If you don't leave right now, I'm coming through the car,' you're going to wish you'd read their earlier signals!"

Observing lion life meant these large felines completely controlled Swaye's daily schedule. Depending on what the lions were up to, she might observe them for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 15 hours at a time.

"It could take an hour or two just to locate them," Swaye explains, "and then, how long I worked was up to them. If they were feeding on a kill at 4 a.m. and wide-awake, I might observe them for several hours, but I also knew they wouldn't be doing much the next day. Similarly, if the lions were found sleeping at midday, the observation period would be very short, as it was unlikely that they would do much else until dusk."

Whatever time of day or night Swaye located a pride, she sat and recorded their behavior on paper and on video. Observing lion life included recording the interactions between pride members, any mating activities, pregnancies, births, hunting habits (successes and failures) and the species, age and sex of any successful kills.

The information is used to keep private property owners, lodge and farm staff and the local parks board up to date on the lions' activities. It also is used to let tourists know the location of the lions and when they will be active.

"It enabled us to keep track of the breeding--who's related to whom--which, among lions, gets quite involved," Swaye explains. "And, by recording what they ate, we could keep track of their prey species and see if the lions were having a positive or negative effect on them."

One of the best parts of the job was watching each fall for newborn cubs. Thirteen cubs were born under Swaye's watch.

"Whenever mothers would bring out their new cubs for the first time, I'd keep my distance," Swaye says. "Eventually, the mothers would relax and the cubs would follow their lead. It was always thrilling to be able to get photos of new cubs."

But then, all of South Africa is thrilling to Swaye. Now pursuing a degree in forestry biodiversity at the University of Natal, sponsor of the lion project, she also is engaged to a South African farmer who owns a mango and sugar cane plantation.

"This area of South Africa is rather isolated," Swaye says. "It's very rural--all game reserves, farms or plantations. There is no television and no air conditioning, but when you can look out your window and see a giraffe or an elephant in the front yard, who needs TV?"

Swaye first fell in love with her adopted country while an entomology and applied ecology major at UD. In January 1997, she went on a Winter Session trip to Tanzania to study wildlife conservation. She kept in touch with one of the professors doing work there and, after she graduated, he offered her a volunteer position observing antelope on the Serengeti.

From there, she made contacts, volunteered for other temporary research projects and secured the lion project job.

"If you like wildlife, there are two things that can make a difference in establishing a career," she says. "First is making contacts. That's the most important thing. Always be sure to make a good impression. You never know where one contact will lead. Always take advantage of opportunities and talk to as many people as you can."

Secondly, Swaye advises, "Be prepared to just pick up and go. I went to a foreign country all by myself, somewhere that I didn't speak the language, didn't have a phone or any of the comforts of home. I just got on the plane and went. My advice is to take risks and see what comes of it."

For Swaye, the risks have paid off. As Rob Slotow, supervisor of the project, says, "During the time Johanna worked on the Ligwalagwala Lion Project, we had some of the worst floods in living memory. Johanna was isolated from the outside world by swollen rivers. Despite the often arduous conditions, she persevered to collect a remarkable amount of quality data, particularly finding many carcasses of lion prey in the bush. She was always positive about the work, despite the conditions.

"Although she is no longer working for me, she has taken on an interesting new challenge for her master of science degree, researching the diversity of invertebrates in the forests of the Northern Province. From lions to millipedes, she's a woman of many talents!"

--Beth Thomas