Conservation EducationWhile conducting research in Budongo, I was lucky to take the helm of a project started by Dr. Catherine Crockford to set up libraries of children's books in the primary schools of two nearby villages. The goal of the program is to improve English reading skills by making English more fun and accessible to children who have no access to books outside of these libraries.
I also gave a series of lectures to the students of Nyakafunjo Primary School about the forest, its inhabitants, and the conservation efforts undertaken by the research site. Every moment spent with the children and teachers was enormously rewarding, and I feel lucky to have known them. |
Long before I knew I would study chimpanzees, I volunteered for many years at Save the Chimps, Inc. in Ft. Pierce, Florida. This incredible sanctuary houses more than 250 chimpanzees, many former biomedical testing subjects, on twelve islands where the chimpanzees live in integrated social groups.
I had no idea that 10 years after volunteering there, I would be citing research studies done on these chimpanzees, and their relatives, in my PhD thesis. Now, these resilient and inspiring individuals have 24/7 access to the outdoors; an enormously varied diet of monkey chow, fruits, and vegetables; and several types of enrichment per day. They also have parties for every occasion imaginable, complete with wrapped presents (and sometimes kiddie pools). |