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MORE WILD SOJOURNS
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ON SAFARI WITH BIOSPHERE, YOU HELP PROTECT THE WILDLIFE— NOT JUST STARE AT IT
W
HO SAYS SCIENTISTS
all wear lab coats under fluorescent lights? Matthias Hammer—skydiver, mountaineer, onetime parachutist for the German army, and Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Cambridge University— is a far cry from that pale, atrophied stereotype. And the company Hammer directs, Biosphere Expeditions, which pairs field scientists in need of assistance with educated, affluent travelers in search of distinctive experiences, takes science out of the lab. On Biosphere trips, clients aid preservation efforts as they encounter some of the world’s most elusive creatures—Arabian leopards in Oman, macaws in Peru, and snow leopards in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia. In Namibia, one of Biosphere’s most popular destinations, travelers get nose-tomuzzle with cheetahs and leopards while working with scientists to understand and protect them. These animals are increasingly found on commercial cattle farms, in spite of the threat of run-ins with humans, because they offer an easy meal and a relative refuge
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from lions. “Volunteers monitor population densities of these carnivores, leading to a better understanding of predator ecology,” says Hammer. Twelve paying volunteers with Biosphere monitor traps set over 49,500 acres of range in hopes of catching, collaring, and releasing the big cats. During this hands-on science safari, conservationists stay in a renovated, veranda-wrapped missionary station from 1903, with two private swimming pools. “You get atmosphere and modern conveniences without feeling like it’s fake Africa,” says Hammer. “And there are terrific local game dishes, like kudu, oryx, and eland. This meat isn’t just delicious; it’s sustainable.” Almost all Biosphere trips operate on this comfortmeets-conservation formula. In the Azores, volunteers can tag loggerhead turtles and then play the Cedars, a spectacular Scottish-style golf course. And in Brazil, Biosphere teams study jaguars and pumas in the Atlantic rainforest—then relax in casitas on the beaches of Paraná. “Our goal,” says Hammer, “is to engage the public—through active, hands-on research—and conserve the planet’s wildlife.” If only solving global warming were this much fun. Namibia trip, $2,890 per person; biosphere-expeditions.org
Tiger Safari Get royal treatment on a private tour through India—by plane, train, and 4x4—in pursuit of Bengal tigers, exploring game reserves and lounging in palatial digs. From $11,565; coxandkingsusa.com
Whale Ahoy! Baja’s Sea of Cortez is swimming with marine life, like the legendary blue whale, worth seeing and saving. Do both with the Nature Conservancy’s Whale Expedition aboard the stately Don José. From $3,800; nature.org
Floating Lab Two oceans, five countries, and hundreds of species await on a 15-day odyssey through Central America aboard the exploratory vessel Le Levant, complete with gym, library, and panoramic restaurant. From $9,980; worldwildlife.org —AARON MARTINEZ
—PAMELA PETRO HERE, KITTY KITTY In Namibia, Biosphere volunteers (i.e., paying customers) track and collar big cats, like the cheetah.
IMAGESTATE/ALAMY
Saving’s Graces
Helping preserve wildlife needn’t be a check-in-the-mail affair. These conservation epics get you ringside in the fight to protect everything from fearsome cats to at-risk reptiles. Move over, Jane Goodall.
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