Jane Goodall

Mention to anyone that you are a primatologist, and they will inevitably make a Jane Goodall reference at some point in the conversation. Dr. Goodall is by far the world’s most renowned expert on nonhuman primates, having studied chimpanzees in Tanzania for over three decades. Though not classically trained, her contributions to the world of chimpanzee research have been astounding, for throughout the years she has revealed that chimpanzees are capable of making tools, displaying complex social behaviors, and even cooperatively hunting for meat. What makes her so memorable to most people is that her studies weren’t just published in scientific journals, but instead put into magazines and on television in a form that everyone, including non-scientists could come to appreciate. Her contributions to both human education and nonhuman primate conservation are immeasurable. Jane currently travels the globe, making public appearances in an effort to raise money for the Jane Goodall Institute, whose mission is to “improve global understanding and treatment of great apes through research, public education and advocacy; contribute to the preservation of great apes and their habitats by combining conservation with education and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in local communities; and create a worldwide network of young people who have learned to care deeply for their human community, for all animals and for the environment, and who will take responsible action to care for them.”

Dian Fossey

Shortly after Jane Goodall began her work with chimpanzees, Dian Fossey arrived in Zaire ready to study mountain gorillas. Like Goodall, Dian had no formal training in animal research, but she proved to be a diligent scientist, uncovering the perilous state of mountain gorilla populations due to illegal poaching and making her data available to everyone in the form of magazine articles and television appearances. According to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund website, “the work she devoted her life to – protecting and studying the mountain gorillas of Africa – has proved highly effective and has resulted in the stabilization and growth of this most endangered of the great apes, and in many other related conservation efforts, as well as programs for people who live in areas near the gorillas.” Sigourney Weaver famously took on the role of Dian Fossey in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist which depicts Dr. Fossey’s life work with mountain gorillas and her efforts to protect them.

Image courtesy of Orangutan Foundation International

Birute Galdikas

Although fellow primatologists initially suggested that it couldn’t be done due to the elusive nature of the orangutan, Birute Galdikas stubbornly set out to study these amazing primates at the Tanjung Puting Reserve in Borneo back in 1971.  Now, after 40 years of continuous study, Birute Galdikas has certainly proved these naysayers wrong.  In the footsteps of Fossey and Goodall, Galdikas brought national attention to the plight of the orangutan with her captivating photographs and amusing anecdotes of the complex life of the ape, published in numerous scientific journals and displayed in such popular magazines as National Geographic.  Now viewed as a renowned lecturer and philanthropist, Dr. Galdikas has been a key player in the global promotion of orangutan conservation.