Meet Vertical Sky Safari's Resident Zoologist. Freya Lewis.

Hi, I’m Freya! Zoologist and resident blogger for Vertical Sky with a passion for conservation and science communication. I’m incredibly excited to be connected with the Vertical Sky team, and their commitment to creating ethical and community-focused experiences. Their values and mission to share and celebrate Tanzania’s incredible biodiversity is something that really resonates with me. I’m naturally opinionated and love getting people talking, so though these blogs I hope to spark thoughtful conversations and share accessible and honest insight into the ecosystems that make Tanzania one of the most remarkable places on Earth.

Growing up in an SSSI within the Pembrokeshire National Park in West Wales, meant I spent my childhood developing a deep appreciation for the wildlife and landscapes that surrounded me. I frequently visited Skomer and Skokholm Islands, where I gained ornithological experience, ringing and monitoring protected seabirds like the Puffin, Manx Shearwater and Storm Petrel. Those early conservation experiences pretty much set the direction of everything that came after, inspiring me to pursue further education and a career in biological sciences.

I later moved to the South West of England to study a B.Sc. (Hons) in Zoology at the University of Plymouth (2020-2024), picking up modules in Marine Biology, Field Biology, Advanced Animal Behaviour, and Ecology. This degree opened the door to fieldwork for me, from my familiar temperate coastlines, to the very different feel of tropical savannahs. I gained a deeper understanding of species interactions, conservation challenges, and the messy reality of the impact of us humans on ecosystems.

In 2023, I took part in a research trip to Kenya at the Mpala Research Centre in the Laikipia Plateau. It was there that I really developed practical tracking and identification skills, working alongside passionate academics, guides, and drivers who knew Sub-Saharan and East African wildlife inside out. Our team conducted species richness and diversity counts for many mammals and bird species, witnessing firsthand the ecological impacts of droughts in the region. I had the opportunity to see the Big Five in their natural habitats, alongside hundreds of other incredible animals from giraffes and elands, to masked weavers, lilac-breasted rollers, solifuges and stick insects.

My dissertation looked at how sewage effluent affects rocky-shore gastropods (think limpets and barnacles), which only strengthened my belief that human behaviour and environmental health are tightly linked — and that the best way to bridge that gap is through clear, and accessible science communication. Alongside my studies I also worked for my local harbour authority as a local government officer, spending a lot of time on the water, gaining a different perspective on how people use and interact with natural spaces.

I’m thrilled to contribute my ecological perspective, expanding knowledge of Tanzania’s wildlife, and my passion for conservation to Vertical Sky. Through these blogs, I hope to encourage curiosity, inspire exploration, and highlight what makes Tanzania such an exceptional place to witness and protect.

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