dian fossey jane goodall birute galdikas

Conservation Work Born to Be Wild, a 2011 IMAX film, chronicles the work of Biruté Galdikas and Daphne Sheldrick, a celebrated elephant conservationist. Her research was a major addition to the field. Before Galdikas’ work very little was known about orangutans. Habits, social interactions and birth cycles. Despite their slow-paced and solitary nature, Galdikas eventually gained the trust of the animals after years observing them. Many people doubted that Galdikas would be able to study orangutans, as they are elusive animals. In Malay, “orangutan” means “person of the forest.” Orangutans are a critically endangered species, with an estimated population of 119,346. Orangutans are found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, in Asia. They faced difficult living conditions, including bugs, parasites, wild animals, toxic plants, viruses, high humidity, and limited food.

They carried very few supplies and travelled into an area with no roads, electricity,

The reserve is on the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. In 1971, Biruté Mary Galdikas and her then-husband, Rod Brindamour, travelled to Tanjung Puting Reserve. Of her first meeting with Leakey, Galdikas remembers, “As soon as I heard him talk about primates and great ape studies, and sending Jane and Dian into the field, I knew this was it.” Observation of Orangutans in Indonesian Borneo While Leakey secured fundingįor her research, Galdikas finished her PhD course work. Leakey had mentored Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey in their field research on chimpanzees and gorillas, respectively. The 2019 documentary “She Walks With Apes,” by CBC’s The Nature of Things, features Biruté Galdikas, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.Īfter a lecture at UCLA, Galdikas approached leading anthropologist Louis Leakey about studying orangutans. In 1966, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and zoology and in 1969 with a Master of Arts in anthropology. She continued her studies at the University She began her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, before moving to the United States with her family. From anĮarly age, Galdikas had an interest in animals and exploration. Her family moved to Toronto when she was two and later to northern Ontario. At the time of her birth, Galdikas’ parents were refugees on their way to Canada. Though she was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, Galdikas’ parents, Anatanas and Filomena, are Lithuanian. Biruté Mary Galdikas is the oldest of four children.

Dian fossey jane goodall birute galdikas