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Birute GaldikasCanadian biologist
Date of Birth: 10.05.1946
Country:  Canada |
Content:
- Birute Galdikas: Champion of Orangutans
- Meeting Louis Leakey
- Borneo Expedition
- Tanjung Puting Orangutan Sanctuary
- Academic Appointments and Advocacy
Birute Galdikas: Champion of Orangutans
Early Life and EducationBirute Galdikas was born on May 10, 1946, in the American occupation zone of Germany. Her Lithuanian parents had fled the advancing Soviet army and immigrated to Canada in 1949. Galdikas studied at the University of British Columbia and later at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a psychology degree and began research in anthropology.
Meeting Louis Leakey
Galdikas's interest in primates was sparked by a chance encounter with renowned paleontologist Louis Leakey, who had discovered fossil remains of human ancestors in East Africa. Leakey encouraged Galdikas to study orangutans.
Borneo Expedition
In 1971, Galdikas embarked on her fateful expedition to Borneo to observe orangutans. Her pioneering research, conducted over 25 years, yielded invaluable insights into the lives of multiple generations of these animals.
Tanjung Puting Orangutan Sanctuary
Galdikas played a pivotal role in establishing the Tanjung Puting Orangutan Sanctuary in Borneo and later its transformation into the Tanjung Puting National Park. She was instrumental in reintroducing over 150 captive-born orangutans to the wild.
Academic Appointments and Advocacy
Galdikas is a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. She serves as President of the Orangutan Foundation International in Los Angeles, dedicated to protecting orangutans and their habitats.
