Screenshot Manon van den Braak The students needed the money to repair a broken well, which is important both for wildlife in the game reserve and for researchers. The students are in Tuli for their thesis research. The run is completed and the well has been repaired, says Master’s student in Biology Manon van den Braak.
It was an extraordinary experience, says Van den Braak. ‘Running among zebras, vultures, impalas, wildebeests and leopards, you don’t do that every day.’ Five of the six thesis students present ran along, she says. ‘And our supervisor Sander Vissia also participated.’ A sixth WUR student accompanied the riders by car. ‘That was important for safety, in case we encountered elephants, for example.’
The students got up extra early for the run. ‘We started at six o’clock in the morning, when the temperature here is still a bit manageable. Despite having little time to train properly for the half marathon, the kilometres flew by. Along the way we saw all kinds of animals, truly amazing!’ The highlight was a leopard crossing the road, says Van den Braak. ‘These are hugely shy animals and it was the first time we saw one. Very beautiful!
Action in pictures
With the action, the students raised over five thousand euros. ‘Much more than we had hoped for, so we were very happy with that. With the money that is left, other wells and water pumps in Tuli will also be repaired.’ After the run, the students got to work with other volunteers to repair the well. They made a video of both the half-marathon and repairing the well. The latter video also shows animals in the reserve already eagerly using the repaired well.
You can read more about Tuli, the action and the students’ thesis research here.
