Dream Jobs: I’m a Serengeti Zoologist

Dreike at work in the bush. (Photo: Four Seasons)

The first time I had a real conversation with Oli Dreike, he was poking a stick into a small but pungent pile of hyena dung.

“This is their regular stomping ground,” he said to me, looking intently at the small, brown pellets. Dreike knows a lot about animal excrement. Frankly, he knows a lot about nearly everything having to do with the animals populating Serengeti National Park.

Tall and handsome, Dreike resembles a more rugged Ryan Gosling. He’s partial to safari khaki. It suits him.

Related: Take a Peek Inside the Four Seasons Serengeti

I always want to be a zoologist. In the pantheon of dream careers, it fell right between marine biologist and astronaut, but it felt like something that was actually attainable. Of course, at age 11, I had no idea where zoologists actually lived or worked outside of a zoo.

Oli Dreike’s office is the Serengeti. Seriously.

This is Dreike’s office. (Photo: Four Seasons)

Dreike runs the Discovery Centre at the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti. In this role he teaches all of the guests, large and small, about the flora and fauna surrounding the camp.

Related: The Cutest Baby Animals You Will See on Safari

We sat on the outskirts of the resort’s savanna watering hole to chat about how Dreike obtained this dream job.

Yahoo Travel: Tell us a little bit about how you got here?

Oli Dreike: It was a bit serendipitous. I have worked in the safari industry for over 10 years, and I was looking to do something more in conservation. I applied to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and it didn’t work out. But the director later heard that the new Four Seasons Serengeti was looking for someone.  I didn’t believe it. I thought they were joking. I flew right up here from Zambia. It was an amazing opportunity.

WATCH: Serengeti Hot-Air Balloon Safari

What does one actually study to become a zoologist?
I majored in zoology, and five years ago I did a master’s in conservation tourism. I didn’t even know if any of the jobs I wanted existed. I wanted to be a wildlife photographer, a filmmaker, or a researcher when I was at university. I did a little work experience with the BBC natural history unit. People told me it wasn’t feasible to be a photographer. They told me if I wanted to live in the bush [I did] to think about tourism. I got a job in Botswana as a guide and I began working on the tourism side of things, running camps and doing operations, but I always had an interest in conservation and community outreach. Then this job came up, which is the perfect marriage between conservation and tourism.

I think I might be the only person with this job.

What has been the coolest moment of your job?
One time the chief park warden asked me to show the president of Tanzania a video about rhino poaching, and being able to show someone of that stature and influence about conservation in their own country is pretty awesome.

You help lead the walking safaris at the Four Seasons. What exactly is a “walking safari”?
Walking safari is how safari actually started. It is the most authentic way of doing a safari. It is so great to get out and see the large mammals on foot and get a little exercise at the same time. Most of the stuff you see on foot you wouldn’t see from the car.

A peek inside the Discovery Centre. (Photo: Four Seasons)

One of the best parts of the Four Seasons in the Serengeti is the Discovery Centre. What is it like working with the kids there?
It is amazing to see the kids see the elephants for the first time and see how excited they get. Three of our staff in the Discovery Centre are Maasai, and they help us include storytelling and a deep cultural connection in our programs.

A female lion lounges in the bush. (Photo: Four Seasons)

How often are you out in the bush?
Like a lot of people, I have to do a lot of emails and administration. But I do go out with the photographers and guests at least two times a week, and if I am in the office and I hear the elephants coming, I always pop my head out to see the watering hole.

I stay here all year and leave for a month, but I try not to take a whole month, because I miss the bush too much.

Most of my life I have lived inside a national park, and I feel privileged that my job enables me to live somewhere many people can’t. I don’t think I can say I have ever gotten sick of it.

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