In June I had the very good fortune to help out a colleague witha giraffe project in Kenya.  Dusti Becker (along with her husband, Tony Povilitis) runs Life Net Nature, which is doing some amazing conservation work around the world. Dusti has been working with the Maasai people of Kenya to develop sustainable eco-tourism and a giraffe monitoring program.  Needless to say, it was an amazing experience for me walking across the savannah, counting giraffes and other large mammals.  I was able to check off four of my personal Big Five (Nile crocodile, black mamba, hyrax, and rhino) – just fell short on the honey badger (next time).   Check out Life Net Nature for this and similar opportunities: http://lifenetnature.org/