January 5, 2014 | A A Zoologist Kay Holekamp has spent her life with a bunch of hyenas. She has loved every minute of the journey. She doesn’t mind when students or strangers call her “the hyena lady.” “I’m fine with it,” says the Michigan State distinguished professor. She’d rather be studying the hyena than the glamorous lion, chimpanzee or other “celebrity mega fauna,” as she calls them. “Hyenas appear to break so many of the basic rules of mamallian biology, “ she says, “that it makes them really interesting.” Hyenas aren’t regal like lions or graceful like dolphins. In fact, they are best known as the sneaky, nasty villains in the Disney film “The Lion King.” Did that movie hurt the hyena’s reputation? “Well, it couldn’t sink much lower,” Holekamp says, laughing. Pick your spots: Chance encounter leads MSU professor to career studying hyenas 3 Comments 30 people recommend this. Be the first of your friends. Recommend 30 Recommend Spotted hyenas on the Masai Mara, Kenya, are excellent mothers, says Michigan State University zoology professor Kay Holekamp. It is just that their mothering techniques may be different from humans'. / Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press Purchase Image By Ellen Creager Detroit Free Press Travel Writer FILED UNDER Life Lifestyles Michigan State University Lansing Most Popular Most Commented More Headlines 1 2 3 4 5 Metro Detroit snowfall numbers: Totals climbing in several communities Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit Detroit Lions coaching search: Ken Whisenhunt can interview, but can't be hired this week Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold, blowing snow as cleanup begins Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three pitchers for long time Most Viewed PHOTO GALLERIES Spartans arrive in East Lansing Jan. 02, 2014 MSU's 2014 basketball recruiting… Rose Bowl: MSU 24, Stanford 20 by Taboola SPONSORED LINKS MORE IN LOCAL NEWS MORE: MitchAlbom.com e-Edition Health care reform Detroit bankruptcy High School Sports Find what you are looking for ... SEARCH News Sports Michigan Business Entertainment Life Better Michigan Obits Help CLASSIFIEDS: CARS JOBS HOMES APARTMENTS CLASSIFIEDS SHOPPING E-CIRCULARS DAILY DEALS ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE
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January 5 2014 |
A A
Zoologist Kay Holekamp has spent her life with a bunch of hyenas
She has loved every minute of the journey
She doesnrsquot mind when students or strangers call her ldquothe hyenaladyrdquo
ldquoIrsquom fine with itrdquo says the Michigan State distinguished professorShersquod rather be studying the hyena than the glamorous lionchimpanzee or other ldquocelebrity mega faunardquo as she calls themldquoHyenas appear to break so many of the basic rules of mamallianbiology ldquo she says ldquothat it makes them really interestingrdquo
Hyenas arenrsquot regal like lions or graceful like dolphins In fact theyare best known as the sneaky nasty villains in the Disney film ldquoTheLion Kingrdquo Did that movie hurt the hyenarsquos reputation
ldquoWell it couldnrsquot sink much lowerrdquo Holekampsays laughing
Pick your spots Chance encounter leads MSU professor to careerstudying hyenas
3 Comments 30 people recommend this Be the first of your friendsRecommend
30Recommend
Spotted hyenas on the Masai Mara Kenya are excellent mothers says Michigan State University zoology professorKay Holekamp It is just that their mothering techniques may be different from humans Ellen CreagerDetroit FreePress
Purchase Image
By EllenCreager
Detroit FreePress Travel
Writer
FILED UNDER
LifeLifestylesMichigan State UniversityLansing
Most Popular Most Commented More Headlines
1
2
3
4
5
Metro Detroit snowfall numbersTotals climbing in several
communities
Top 10 heaviest snow storms to everhit Detroit
Detroit Lions coaching search KenWhisenhunt can interview but cant
be hired this week
Heavy snowfall to give way to bittercold blowing snow as cleanup begins
Detroit Tigers trying to keep their BigThree pitchers for long time
Most Viewed
PHOTO GALLERIES
Spartans arrive in East LansingJan 02 2014
MSUs 2014basketball recruitinghellip
Rose Bowl MSU 24Stanford 20
by TaboolaSPONSORED LINKS
MORE IN LOCAL NEWS
MORE MitchAlbomcom e-Edition Health care reform Detroit bankruptcy High School Sports Find what you are looking for SEARCH
News Sports Michigan Business Entertainment Life Better Michigan Obits Help
CLASSIFIEDS CARS JOBS HOMES APARTMENTS CLASSIFIEDS SHOPPING E-CIRCULARS DAILY DEALS ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE
As a young scientist Holekamp now 62studied ground squirrels Then one day acolleague at lunch suggested that hyenasshould be studied in the wild mdash and sheshould be the one to do it
That chance encounter changed the entiredirection of her career and her life And itrsquos alesson to women career experts say Donrsquotbe so rigid in your career plans that you fail torecognize something even better that comesalong
ldquoOf course chance favors the well-preparedrdquosays Mark Savickas editor of the Journal ofVocational Behavior But beyond that hesays careers indeed are enhanced by whatacademics call ldquoplanned happenstancerdquo orldquoaffordancesrdquo and what a lay person mightcall serendipity
Career theorist John Krumboltz of Stanfordrsquosldquoplanned happenstancerdquo theory holds thatchance and unplanned events are inevitableand desirable in careers and the more youput yourself out into the world the more likelyunexpected career opportunities will appearmdash like a chance to go to Africa to study thespotted hyena
Starting at the zooHolekamp grew up in Town and CountryMo an upscale St Louis suburb As a seniorat the private John Burroughs High Schoolshe was encouraged to get a temporary jobfor a class project
ldquoSo I got a job as a keeper at the St LouisZoordquo she says ldquoI worked in the childrenrsquoszoo there I worked with mammals and therewas a nursery component mdash infants whosemothers had rejected them and they werethe smaller mammals like bush babies andkinkajousrdquo
Bush babies Kinkajous Holekamp realizedthe world was full of odd mammals that maynot get a lot of media attention but whichdeserved scientific study
She kept working at the zoo at $125 an hourBut she aimed higher because ldquoI didnrsquot wantto spend my life shoveling manurerdquo
She graduated from Smith College in
Michigan State University professor Dr Kay Holekampfirst started studying spotted hyenas in Kenya in 1988and has continued working on a long-term field study Ryan GarzaDetroit Free Press
Purchase Image ZOOM
7 Tips from Hyena MomsYou may not want to emulate the motheringtechniques of the spotted hyena but you have toadmit they work for her 1 Bite your baby sister to death if you want to (Ifthere are two or three pups the most aggressiveone gets more milk if he or she injures kills orintimidates siblings) 2 Gulp your dinner (Like lions spotted hyenas aremajor predators and excellent hunters who can baga zebra and chow it down in 15 minutes They donrsquotjust eat carrion) 3 Girls rule boys drool (Females areaggressively dominant in hyena society and livetheir whole lives in the same clan of other femalesand their pups Being a male isnrsquot much fun) 4 Itrsquos not who you are itrsquos who your mother is(hyenas are class-conscious mdash a motherrsquos highstatus in the clan means their pups also will havehigh status There is no such thing as Horatio Algerhyenas) 5 Reserve giggles and laughs for when you areagitated or angry (Yes it sounds unnervingly likehuman laughter) 6 Donrsquot throw away yucky spoiled food mdash eat it(Hyenas are nearly immune to diseases and toxinseven anthrax thatrsquos something scientists cannotexplain but are trying to figure out) 7 Looks arenrsquot everything (hyenas are among theleast attractive mammals but they donrsquot care Theyare super successful PS They are neither catsnor dogs mdash their closest relatives are themongoose meerkat and civet)
Did you knowFewer than 25 of the nationrsquos science mathtechnology engineering jobs are held by womenaccording to the Association for Women in Sciencewith most female scientists working for thegovernment rather than universities or businessAmong biologists of which zoology is a parthowever there have been strides in the pastdecade Half of the nationrsquos biological scientistswere women in 2012 as compared with just 44 in2002 according to the US Department of Labor
Northampton Mass in biology andpsychology interested in the intersection ofthose two topics mdash the social workings of theanimal kingdom Then a friendrsquos father gaveher the opportunity to work in the ColombianAmazon
ldquoHe brought live animals for research fromLeticia Colombia to the United States andhe also owned a 12-room hotelrdquo recallsHolekamp She went to Colombia to be atour guide but she also had an ulteriormotive mdash to catch some murine opossums amouselike animal shersquod been studying backat Smith
ldquoI was so naive I didnrsquot even see onerdquo shesays But her exposure to the vibrant naturalworld of South America inspired her Shecontinued to the University of CaliforniaBerkley for a PhD on the behavioral ecology
of Beldingrsquos ground squirrels which are tiny cousins of groundhogs
Then a turning point When Berkley got a clan of hyenas for studya colleague mentioned to Holekamp that the animals werebehaving differently in captivity and someone really needed to studythem in the wild ldquoand he thought it should be merdquo she says
So she applied for a grant and moved to Kenya Her work gainednotice and in 1991 she was offered a position at Michigan StateUniversity where she now is distinguished professor of zoology
Holekamp once spent five years straight mdash 1988 to 1993 mdash living ina tent in the middle of Kenyarsquos Masai Mara bush with the hyenasSix hours by vehicle from civilization she and a colleague had nophone no fresh vegetables and little contact with others At nightlions hyenas hippos and elephants prowled past the tent leavingtheir footprints for her to see in the morning How did she stay safe
ldquoA colleague told me to make noise when I walkedrdquo she says Sheis not kidding mdash the Kenyan government prohibited researchersfrom carrying weapons Needless to say her Missouri parents werenot thrilled by her remote adventures although they visited her oncein 1989 bumping over the roads to their daughterrsquos remoteencampment
Holekamp whose hobbies include sailing and scuba diving liveswith her partner Laura Smale who also is a professor at MSU Theyhave two dogs
Today the St Louis native still spends part of each year from Aprilto July in Kenya supervising students who are part of MSUrsquos KayE Holekamp Lab which has a field office there and the main officeback in East Lansing The Okemos-based professor oftenencourages young women considering science to follow theirdreams But even she has to admit that a life with hyenas is not
A baby spotted hyena has soft black fur and only latergets its spots and rough coat MSU zoology professorKay Holekamp one of the worlds top authorities on thespotted hyena holds the baby at a U-C Berkleyresearch center recently Kay E Holekamp Lab
ZOOM
exactly a mainstream career path
Hyena tendenciesOver the years Holekamp has amassed eight generations of dataon hyena families of the Masai Mara She and her students havefollowed hundreds of mothers and cubs witnessing the socialdominance of some females the odd and astonishing society of thehyenas their intelligence and their fierceness
She spends quite a lot of time explaining to others things that areand are not true about hyenas They donrsquot just eat dead things Theyarenrsquot hermaphrodites They donrsquot eat lions They almost never getsick even from things that would kill other animals
These days she is writing a book about her early experiences inKenya plus her latest scientific monograph about the evolutionaryecology of hyenas The soft-spoken Holekamp is somewhat of acelebrity too She has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine andon the BBC She won a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship in2006
ldquoThere are literally no other studies like hersrdquo says colleagueDorothy Cheney a biology professor at the University ofPennsylvania who studies the social behavior of baboons inBotswana ldquoShe has had the patience and fortitude to perseverewith her long-term research in both a difficult funding environmentand some exasperating political conditionsrdquo
The good thing is in Holekamprsquos seventh decade she finds thathyenas still fascinate her Yes the bureaucracy and expense ofresearch in Kenya is worse than it used to be ldquoand it is definitelymore dangerousrdquo in parts of the country But she never tires of theendless Masai Mara And she is still curious
ldquoTo me one interesting problem opens up a new one and they aresuch interesting animals to work on and itrsquos been a pleasure for meto work on it with the wonderful studentsrdquo the scientist says
Anything else ldquoYes People should definitely go to the zoo or betteryet go to Africardquo
TOP VIDEO PICKS
mdashEllen Creager with Kay Holekamp
View Comments (3) | Share your thoughts raquo
Talkin Spartans MSUs24shy20 Rose Bowl winJan 2 2014
Fans react to MSUs RoseBowl winJan 2 2014
AampE calls off DuckDynasty suspensionDec 27 2013
selected by TaboolaYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Joe Rexrode What Ill rememberfrom Michigan Stateshellip
University of Michigan regentskeep quiet about searchhellip
Growing number of Michiganretailers accepting bitcoinhellip
Detroit Lions coaching searchKen Whisenhunts skillhellip
Mark Phelan Detroit marks 25years at the center ofhellip
Electrolux EIFLW50LIW on Saleat AJ Madison (Washer Dryer Info)
(YouTube)
(Food Network)
[]
by TaboolaSPONSORED LINKS
NIGHTLIFE MOST POPULAR1 Metro Detroit snowfall numbers Totals climbing in
several communities
SUBSCRIBE MICHIGAN NEWSStates plan to get rid of costly office leasesmoves ahead but legislators have different idea
NYE at the Avenue
2 Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit3 Detroit Lions coaching search Ken Whisenhunt
can interview but cant be hired this week4 Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold blowing
snow as cleanup begins5 Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three
pitchers for long time6 Jane Seymour 62 shows off bikini bod on
magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
Site Map | Back to Top
NEWSPoliticsDetroitWayne CountyOakland CountyMacomb CountyMetro DetroitMichiganNationWorldRochelle RileyEric MillikinWeather
LIFEFoodTravelHealthShoppingCrossword puzzleComicsTechnologyRelationshipsBooksGeorgea KovanisEllen CreagerSusan M Selasky
SPORTSLionsTigersRed WingsPistonsWolverinesSpartansHigh School SportsMitch AlbomDrew SharpJeff SeidelOutdoorsAuto RacingGolfFree Press marathon
OBITSDeath NoticesSubmit a Death Notice
MICHIGAN BUSINESSAuto newsAuto reviewsGeneral MotorsFordChryslerDetroit auto showReal estateMichigan House EnvyTom WalshSusan TomporMark PhelanNationworld business
BETTER MICHIGANEditorialsLetters to the editorCommentaryMike Thompson cartoonsStephen HendersonBrian DickersonColumnists
ENTERTAINMENTMusicRestaurantsMoviesArtsTV and radioNames amp FacesSylvia RectorJulie HindsMark StrykerRachel May
HELPAdvertiseArchivesContact usSubscriber servicese-EditionGot a questionDetroit Newspapers inEducationBookstoreReading WorksFree Press CharitiesPage and photo reprints
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RSS
E-mail Alerts
News | Jobs | Cars for Sale | Homes for Sale | Apartments for Rent | Shopping | Classifieds | E-Circulars | Daily Deals
Copyright copy 2014 wwwfreepcom All rights reservedUsers of this site agree to the Terms of Service Privacy NoticeYour California Privacy Rights and Ad Choices
As a young scientist Holekamp now 62studied ground squirrels Then one day acolleague at lunch suggested that hyenasshould be studied in the wild mdash and sheshould be the one to do it
That chance encounter changed the entiredirection of her career and her life And itrsquos alesson to women career experts say Donrsquotbe so rigid in your career plans that you fail torecognize something even better that comesalong
ldquoOf course chance favors the well-preparedrdquosays Mark Savickas editor of the Journal ofVocational Behavior But beyond that hesays careers indeed are enhanced by whatacademics call ldquoplanned happenstancerdquo orldquoaffordancesrdquo and what a lay person mightcall serendipity
Career theorist John Krumboltz of Stanfordrsquosldquoplanned happenstancerdquo theory holds thatchance and unplanned events are inevitableand desirable in careers and the more youput yourself out into the world the more likelyunexpected career opportunities will appearmdash like a chance to go to Africa to study thespotted hyena
Starting at the zooHolekamp grew up in Town and CountryMo an upscale St Louis suburb As a seniorat the private John Burroughs High Schoolshe was encouraged to get a temporary jobfor a class project
ldquoSo I got a job as a keeper at the St LouisZoordquo she says ldquoI worked in the childrenrsquoszoo there I worked with mammals and therewas a nursery component mdash infants whosemothers had rejected them and they werethe smaller mammals like bush babies andkinkajousrdquo
Bush babies Kinkajous Holekamp realizedthe world was full of odd mammals that maynot get a lot of media attention but whichdeserved scientific study
She kept working at the zoo at $125 an hourBut she aimed higher because ldquoI didnrsquot wantto spend my life shoveling manurerdquo
She graduated from Smith College in
Michigan State University professor Dr Kay Holekampfirst started studying spotted hyenas in Kenya in 1988and has continued working on a long-term field study Ryan GarzaDetroit Free Press
Purchase Image ZOOM
7 Tips from Hyena MomsYou may not want to emulate the motheringtechniques of the spotted hyena but you have toadmit they work for her 1 Bite your baby sister to death if you want to (Ifthere are two or three pups the most aggressiveone gets more milk if he or she injures kills orintimidates siblings) 2 Gulp your dinner (Like lions spotted hyenas aremajor predators and excellent hunters who can baga zebra and chow it down in 15 minutes They donrsquotjust eat carrion) 3 Girls rule boys drool (Females areaggressively dominant in hyena society and livetheir whole lives in the same clan of other femalesand their pups Being a male isnrsquot much fun) 4 Itrsquos not who you are itrsquos who your mother is(hyenas are class-conscious mdash a motherrsquos highstatus in the clan means their pups also will havehigh status There is no such thing as Horatio Algerhyenas) 5 Reserve giggles and laughs for when you areagitated or angry (Yes it sounds unnervingly likehuman laughter) 6 Donrsquot throw away yucky spoiled food mdash eat it(Hyenas are nearly immune to diseases and toxinseven anthrax thatrsquos something scientists cannotexplain but are trying to figure out) 7 Looks arenrsquot everything (hyenas are among theleast attractive mammals but they donrsquot care Theyare super successful PS They are neither catsnor dogs mdash their closest relatives are themongoose meerkat and civet)
Did you knowFewer than 25 of the nationrsquos science mathtechnology engineering jobs are held by womenaccording to the Association for Women in Sciencewith most female scientists working for thegovernment rather than universities or businessAmong biologists of which zoology is a parthowever there have been strides in the pastdecade Half of the nationrsquos biological scientistswere women in 2012 as compared with just 44 in2002 according to the US Department of Labor
Northampton Mass in biology andpsychology interested in the intersection ofthose two topics mdash the social workings of theanimal kingdom Then a friendrsquos father gaveher the opportunity to work in the ColombianAmazon
ldquoHe brought live animals for research fromLeticia Colombia to the United States andhe also owned a 12-room hotelrdquo recallsHolekamp She went to Colombia to be atour guide but she also had an ulteriormotive mdash to catch some murine opossums amouselike animal shersquod been studying backat Smith
ldquoI was so naive I didnrsquot even see onerdquo shesays But her exposure to the vibrant naturalworld of South America inspired her Shecontinued to the University of CaliforniaBerkley for a PhD on the behavioral ecology
of Beldingrsquos ground squirrels which are tiny cousins of groundhogs
Then a turning point When Berkley got a clan of hyenas for studya colleague mentioned to Holekamp that the animals werebehaving differently in captivity and someone really needed to studythem in the wild ldquoand he thought it should be merdquo she says
So she applied for a grant and moved to Kenya Her work gainednotice and in 1991 she was offered a position at Michigan StateUniversity where she now is distinguished professor of zoology
Holekamp once spent five years straight mdash 1988 to 1993 mdash living ina tent in the middle of Kenyarsquos Masai Mara bush with the hyenasSix hours by vehicle from civilization she and a colleague had nophone no fresh vegetables and little contact with others At nightlions hyenas hippos and elephants prowled past the tent leavingtheir footprints for her to see in the morning How did she stay safe
ldquoA colleague told me to make noise when I walkedrdquo she says Sheis not kidding mdash the Kenyan government prohibited researchersfrom carrying weapons Needless to say her Missouri parents werenot thrilled by her remote adventures although they visited her oncein 1989 bumping over the roads to their daughterrsquos remoteencampment
Holekamp whose hobbies include sailing and scuba diving liveswith her partner Laura Smale who also is a professor at MSU Theyhave two dogs
Today the St Louis native still spends part of each year from Aprilto July in Kenya supervising students who are part of MSUrsquos KayE Holekamp Lab which has a field office there and the main officeback in East Lansing The Okemos-based professor oftenencourages young women considering science to follow theirdreams But even she has to admit that a life with hyenas is not
A baby spotted hyena has soft black fur and only latergets its spots and rough coat MSU zoology professorKay Holekamp one of the worlds top authorities on thespotted hyena holds the baby at a U-C Berkleyresearch center recently Kay E Holekamp Lab
ZOOM
exactly a mainstream career path
Hyena tendenciesOver the years Holekamp has amassed eight generations of dataon hyena families of the Masai Mara She and her students havefollowed hundreds of mothers and cubs witnessing the socialdominance of some females the odd and astonishing society of thehyenas their intelligence and their fierceness
She spends quite a lot of time explaining to others things that areand are not true about hyenas They donrsquot just eat dead things Theyarenrsquot hermaphrodites They donrsquot eat lions They almost never getsick even from things that would kill other animals
These days she is writing a book about her early experiences inKenya plus her latest scientific monograph about the evolutionaryecology of hyenas The soft-spoken Holekamp is somewhat of acelebrity too She has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine andon the BBC She won a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship in2006
ldquoThere are literally no other studies like hersrdquo says colleagueDorothy Cheney a biology professor at the University ofPennsylvania who studies the social behavior of baboons inBotswana ldquoShe has had the patience and fortitude to perseverewith her long-term research in both a difficult funding environmentand some exasperating political conditionsrdquo
The good thing is in Holekamprsquos seventh decade she finds thathyenas still fascinate her Yes the bureaucracy and expense ofresearch in Kenya is worse than it used to be ldquoand it is definitelymore dangerousrdquo in parts of the country But she never tires of theendless Masai Mara And she is still curious
ldquoTo me one interesting problem opens up a new one and they aresuch interesting animals to work on and itrsquos been a pleasure for meto work on it with the wonderful studentsrdquo the scientist says
Anything else ldquoYes People should definitely go to the zoo or betteryet go to Africardquo
TOP VIDEO PICKS
mdashEllen Creager with Kay Holekamp
View Comments (3) | Share your thoughts raquo
Talkin Spartans MSUs24shy20 Rose Bowl winJan 2 2014
Fans react to MSUs RoseBowl winJan 2 2014
AampE calls off DuckDynasty suspensionDec 27 2013
selected by TaboolaYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Joe Rexrode What Ill rememberfrom Michigan Stateshellip
University of Michigan regentskeep quiet about searchhellip
Growing number of Michiganretailers accepting bitcoinhellip
Detroit Lions coaching searchKen Whisenhunts skillhellip
Mark Phelan Detroit marks 25years at the center ofhellip
Electrolux EIFLW50LIW on Saleat AJ Madison (Washer Dryer Info)
(YouTube)
(Food Network)
[]
by TaboolaSPONSORED LINKS
NIGHTLIFE MOST POPULAR1 Metro Detroit snowfall numbers Totals climbing in
several communities
SUBSCRIBE MICHIGAN NEWSStates plan to get rid of costly office leasesmoves ahead but legislators have different idea
NYE at the Avenue
2 Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit3 Detroit Lions coaching search Ken Whisenhunt
can interview but cant be hired this week4 Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold blowing
snow as cleanup begins5 Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three
pitchers for long time6 Jane Seymour 62 shows off bikini bod on
magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
Site Map | Back to Top
NEWSPoliticsDetroitWayne CountyOakland CountyMacomb CountyMetro DetroitMichiganNationWorldRochelle RileyEric MillikinWeather
LIFEFoodTravelHealthShoppingCrossword puzzleComicsTechnologyRelationshipsBooksGeorgea KovanisEllen CreagerSusan M Selasky
SPORTSLionsTigersRed WingsPistonsWolverinesSpartansHigh School SportsMitch AlbomDrew SharpJeff SeidelOutdoorsAuto RacingGolfFree Press marathon
OBITSDeath NoticesSubmit a Death Notice
MICHIGAN BUSINESSAuto newsAuto reviewsGeneral MotorsFordChryslerDetroit auto showReal estateMichigan House EnvyTom WalshSusan TomporMark PhelanNationworld business
BETTER MICHIGANEditorialsLetters to the editorCommentaryMike Thompson cartoonsStephen HendersonBrian DickersonColumnists
ENTERTAINMENTMusicRestaurantsMoviesArtsTV and radioNames amp FacesSylvia RectorJulie HindsMark StrykerRachel May
HELPAdvertiseArchivesContact usSubscriber servicese-EditionGot a questionDetroit Newspapers inEducationBookstoreReading WorksFree Press CharitiesPage and photo reprints
FOLLOW US
Mobile
RSS
E-mail Alerts
News | Jobs | Cars for Sale | Homes for Sale | Apartments for Rent | Shopping | Classifieds | E-Circulars | Daily Deals
Copyright copy 2014 wwwfreepcom All rights reservedUsers of this site agree to the Terms of Service Privacy NoticeYour California Privacy Rights and Ad Choices
Northampton Mass in biology andpsychology interested in the intersection ofthose two topics mdash the social workings of theanimal kingdom Then a friendrsquos father gaveher the opportunity to work in the ColombianAmazon
ldquoHe brought live animals for research fromLeticia Colombia to the United States andhe also owned a 12-room hotelrdquo recallsHolekamp She went to Colombia to be atour guide but she also had an ulteriormotive mdash to catch some murine opossums amouselike animal shersquod been studying backat Smith
ldquoI was so naive I didnrsquot even see onerdquo shesays But her exposure to the vibrant naturalworld of South America inspired her Shecontinued to the University of CaliforniaBerkley for a PhD on the behavioral ecology
of Beldingrsquos ground squirrels which are tiny cousins of groundhogs
Then a turning point When Berkley got a clan of hyenas for studya colleague mentioned to Holekamp that the animals werebehaving differently in captivity and someone really needed to studythem in the wild ldquoand he thought it should be merdquo she says
So she applied for a grant and moved to Kenya Her work gainednotice and in 1991 she was offered a position at Michigan StateUniversity where she now is distinguished professor of zoology
Holekamp once spent five years straight mdash 1988 to 1993 mdash living ina tent in the middle of Kenyarsquos Masai Mara bush with the hyenasSix hours by vehicle from civilization she and a colleague had nophone no fresh vegetables and little contact with others At nightlions hyenas hippos and elephants prowled past the tent leavingtheir footprints for her to see in the morning How did she stay safe
ldquoA colleague told me to make noise when I walkedrdquo she says Sheis not kidding mdash the Kenyan government prohibited researchersfrom carrying weapons Needless to say her Missouri parents werenot thrilled by her remote adventures although they visited her oncein 1989 bumping over the roads to their daughterrsquos remoteencampment
Holekamp whose hobbies include sailing and scuba diving liveswith her partner Laura Smale who also is a professor at MSU Theyhave two dogs
Today the St Louis native still spends part of each year from Aprilto July in Kenya supervising students who are part of MSUrsquos KayE Holekamp Lab which has a field office there and the main officeback in East Lansing The Okemos-based professor oftenencourages young women considering science to follow theirdreams But even she has to admit that a life with hyenas is not
A baby spotted hyena has soft black fur and only latergets its spots and rough coat MSU zoology professorKay Holekamp one of the worlds top authorities on thespotted hyena holds the baby at a U-C Berkleyresearch center recently Kay E Holekamp Lab
ZOOM
exactly a mainstream career path
Hyena tendenciesOver the years Holekamp has amassed eight generations of dataon hyena families of the Masai Mara She and her students havefollowed hundreds of mothers and cubs witnessing the socialdominance of some females the odd and astonishing society of thehyenas their intelligence and their fierceness
She spends quite a lot of time explaining to others things that areand are not true about hyenas They donrsquot just eat dead things Theyarenrsquot hermaphrodites They donrsquot eat lions They almost never getsick even from things that would kill other animals
These days she is writing a book about her early experiences inKenya plus her latest scientific monograph about the evolutionaryecology of hyenas The soft-spoken Holekamp is somewhat of acelebrity too She has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine andon the BBC She won a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship in2006
ldquoThere are literally no other studies like hersrdquo says colleagueDorothy Cheney a biology professor at the University ofPennsylvania who studies the social behavior of baboons inBotswana ldquoShe has had the patience and fortitude to perseverewith her long-term research in both a difficult funding environmentand some exasperating political conditionsrdquo
The good thing is in Holekamprsquos seventh decade she finds thathyenas still fascinate her Yes the bureaucracy and expense ofresearch in Kenya is worse than it used to be ldquoand it is definitelymore dangerousrdquo in parts of the country But she never tires of theendless Masai Mara And she is still curious
ldquoTo me one interesting problem opens up a new one and they aresuch interesting animals to work on and itrsquos been a pleasure for meto work on it with the wonderful studentsrdquo the scientist says
Anything else ldquoYes People should definitely go to the zoo or betteryet go to Africardquo
TOP VIDEO PICKS
mdashEllen Creager with Kay Holekamp
View Comments (3) | Share your thoughts raquo
Talkin Spartans MSUs24shy20 Rose Bowl winJan 2 2014
Fans react to MSUs RoseBowl winJan 2 2014
AampE calls off DuckDynasty suspensionDec 27 2013
selected by TaboolaYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Joe Rexrode What Ill rememberfrom Michigan Stateshellip
University of Michigan regentskeep quiet about searchhellip
Growing number of Michiganretailers accepting bitcoinhellip
Detroit Lions coaching searchKen Whisenhunts skillhellip
Mark Phelan Detroit marks 25years at the center ofhellip
Electrolux EIFLW50LIW on Saleat AJ Madison (Washer Dryer Info)
(YouTube)
(Food Network)
[]
by TaboolaSPONSORED LINKS
NIGHTLIFE MOST POPULAR1 Metro Detroit snowfall numbers Totals climbing in
several communities
SUBSCRIBE MICHIGAN NEWSStates plan to get rid of costly office leasesmoves ahead but legislators have different idea
NYE at the Avenue
2 Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit3 Detroit Lions coaching search Ken Whisenhunt
can interview but cant be hired this week4 Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold blowing
snow as cleanup begins5 Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three
pitchers for long time6 Jane Seymour 62 shows off bikini bod on
magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
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exactly a mainstream career path
Hyena tendenciesOver the years Holekamp has amassed eight generations of dataon hyena families of the Masai Mara She and her students havefollowed hundreds of mothers and cubs witnessing the socialdominance of some females the odd and astonishing society of thehyenas their intelligence and their fierceness
She spends quite a lot of time explaining to others things that areand are not true about hyenas They donrsquot just eat dead things Theyarenrsquot hermaphrodites They donrsquot eat lions They almost never getsick even from things that would kill other animals
These days she is writing a book about her early experiences inKenya plus her latest scientific monograph about the evolutionaryecology of hyenas The soft-spoken Holekamp is somewhat of acelebrity too She has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine andon the BBC She won a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship in2006
ldquoThere are literally no other studies like hersrdquo says colleagueDorothy Cheney a biology professor at the University ofPennsylvania who studies the social behavior of baboons inBotswana ldquoShe has had the patience and fortitude to perseverewith her long-term research in both a difficult funding environmentand some exasperating political conditionsrdquo
The good thing is in Holekamprsquos seventh decade she finds thathyenas still fascinate her Yes the bureaucracy and expense ofresearch in Kenya is worse than it used to be ldquoand it is definitelymore dangerousrdquo in parts of the country But she never tires of theendless Masai Mara And she is still curious
ldquoTo me one interesting problem opens up a new one and they aresuch interesting animals to work on and itrsquos been a pleasure for meto work on it with the wonderful studentsrdquo the scientist says
Anything else ldquoYes People should definitely go to the zoo or betteryet go to Africardquo
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magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
Site Map | Back to Top
NEWSPoliticsDetroitWayne CountyOakland CountyMacomb CountyMetro DetroitMichiganNationWorldRochelle RileyEric MillikinWeather
LIFEFoodTravelHealthShoppingCrossword puzzleComicsTechnologyRelationshipsBooksGeorgea KovanisEllen CreagerSusan M Selasky
SPORTSLionsTigersRed WingsPistonsWolverinesSpartansHigh School SportsMitch AlbomDrew SharpJeff SeidelOutdoorsAuto RacingGolfFree Press marathon
OBITSDeath NoticesSubmit a Death Notice
MICHIGAN BUSINESSAuto newsAuto reviewsGeneral MotorsFordChryslerDetroit auto showReal estateMichigan House EnvyTom WalshSusan TomporMark PhelanNationworld business
BETTER MICHIGANEditorialsLetters to the editorCommentaryMike Thompson cartoonsStephen HendersonBrian DickersonColumnists
ENTERTAINMENTMusicRestaurantsMoviesArtsTV and radioNames amp FacesSylvia RectorJulie HindsMark StrykerRachel May
HELPAdvertiseArchivesContact usSubscriber servicese-EditionGot a questionDetroit Newspapers inEducationBookstoreReading WorksFree Press CharitiesPage and photo reprints
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News | Jobs | Cars for Sale | Homes for Sale | Apartments for Rent | Shopping | Classifieds | E-Circulars | Daily Deals
Copyright copy 2014 wwwfreepcom All rights reservedUsers of this site agree to the Terms of Service Privacy NoticeYour California Privacy Rights and Ad Choices
TOP VIDEO PICKS
mdashEllen Creager with Kay Holekamp
View Comments (3) | Share your thoughts raquo
Talkin Spartans MSUs24shy20 Rose Bowl winJan 2 2014
Fans react to MSUs RoseBowl winJan 2 2014
AampE calls off DuckDynasty suspensionDec 27 2013
selected by TaboolaYOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Joe Rexrode What Ill rememberfrom Michigan Stateshellip
University of Michigan regentskeep quiet about searchhellip
Growing number of Michiganretailers accepting bitcoinhellip
Detroit Lions coaching searchKen Whisenhunts skillhellip
Mark Phelan Detroit marks 25years at the center ofhellip
Electrolux EIFLW50LIW on Saleat AJ Madison (Washer Dryer Info)
(YouTube)
(Food Network)
[]
by TaboolaSPONSORED LINKS
NIGHTLIFE MOST POPULAR1 Metro Detroit snowfall numbers Totals climbing in
several communities
SUBSCRIBE MICHIGAN NEWSStates plan to get rid of costly office leasesmoves ahead but legislators have different idea
NYE at the Avenue
2 Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit3 Detroit Lions coaching search Ken Whisenhunt
can interview but cant be hired this week4 Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold blowing
snow as cleanup begins5 Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three
pitchers for long time6 Jane Seymour 62 shows off bikini bod on
magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
Site Map | Back to Top
NEWSPoliticsDetroitWayne CountyOakland CountyMacomb CountyMetro DetroitMichiganNationWorldRochelle RileyEric MillikinWeather
LIFEFoodTravelHealthShoppingCrossword puzzleComicsTechnologyRelationshipsBooksGeorgea KovanisEllen CreagerSusan M Selasky
SPORTSLionsTigersRed WingsPistonsWolverinesSpartansHigh School SportsMitch AlbomDrew SharpJeff SeidelOutdoorsAuto RacingGolfFree Press marathon
OBITSDeath NoticesSubmit a Death Notice
MICHIGAN BUSINESSAuto newsAuto reviewsGeneral MotorsFordChryslerDetroit auto showReal estateMichigan House EnvyTom WalshSusan TomporMark PhelanNationworld business
BETTER MICHIGANEditorialsLetters to the editorCommentaryMike Thompson cartoonsStephen HendersonBrian DickersonColumnists
ENTERTAINMENTMusicRestaurantsMoviesArtsTV and radioNames amp FacesSylvia RectorJulie HindsMark StrykerRachel May
HELPAdvertiseArchivesContact usSubscriber servicese-EditionGot a questionDetroit Newspapers inEducationBookstoreReading WorksFree Press CharitiesPage and photo reprints
FOLLOW US
Mobile
RSS
E-mail Alerts
News | Jobs | Cars for Sale | Homes for Sale | Apartments for Rent | Shopping | Classifieds | E-Circulars | Daily Deals
Copyright copy 2014 wwwfreepcom All rights reservedUsers of this site agree to the Terms of Service Privacy NoticeYour California Privacy Rights and Ad Choices
NYE at the Avenue
2 Top 10 heaviest snow storms to ever hit Detroit3 Detroit Lions coaching search Ken Whisenhunt
can interview but cant be hired this week4 Heavy snowfall to give way to bitter cold blowing
snow as cleanup begins5 Detroit Tigers trying to keep their Big Three
pitchers for long time6 Jane Seymour 62 shows off bikini bod on
magazine cover7 Amy Dickinson Dont get intimate too fast in
relationships
2 Michigan teachers receive presidentialhonors in math scienceMetro Detroiters share photos of winterwonderland outside of their doorsDoctor Impatience not paying attention canlead to serious winter injuries (video)They died in 2013 but impact of these Michiganresidents wont be forgotten
Site Map | Back to Top
NEWSPoliticsDetroitWayne CountyOakland CountyMacomb CountyMetro DetroitMichiganNationWorldRochelle RileyEric MillikinWeather
LIFEFoodTravelHealthShoppingCrossword puzzleComicsTechnologyRelationshipsBooksGeorgea KovanisEllen CreagerSusan M Selasky
SPORTSLionsTigersRed WingsPistonsWolverinesSpartansHigh School SportsMitch AlbomDrew SharpJeff SeidelOutdoorsAuto RacingGolfFree Press marathon
OBITSDeath NoticesSubmit a Death Notice
MICHIGAN BUSINESSAuto newsAuto reviewsGeneral MotorsFordChryslerDetroit auto showReal estateMichigan House EnvyTom WalshSusan TomporMark PhelanNationworld business
BETTER MICHIGANEditorialsLetters to the editorCommentaryMike Thompson cartoonsStephen HendersonBrian DickersonColumnists
ENTERTAINMENTMusicRestaurantsMoviesArtsTV and radioNames amp FacesSylvia RectorJulie HindsMark StrykerRachel May
HELPAdvertiseArchivesContact usSubscriber servicese-EditionGot a questionDetroit Newspapers inEducationBookstoreReading WorksFree Press CharitiesPage and photo reprints
FOLLOW US
Mobile
RSS
E-mail Alerts
News | Jobs | Cars for Sale | Homes for Sale | Apartments for Rent | Shopping | Classifieds | E-Circulars | Daily Deals
Copyright copy 2014 wwwfreepcom All rights reservedUsers of this site agree to the Terms of Service Privacy NoticeYour California Privacy Rights and Ad Choices
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