Episode 4 - Biruté Galdikas
Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has spent the last 50 years living and studying the wild orangutans of Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia. She joins host Chloe Aftel while in transit back to Borneo to discuss her career and research, as well as what she’s observed about the natural world and life itself along the way. She tells the fascinating story of how she arrived in Indonesia for work, her daily routine in the field, the challenges of adapting to local culture, and even being held at knifepoint.
Highlights:
How Biruté’s childhood and Baltic heritage inspired her passion for nature and wildlife;
Her work alongside renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey;
The personal impacts of this work and her reflections on humanity;
The importance of changing attitudes towards nature and the role of education and awareness in conservation efforts.
About:
Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas is a Canadian primatologist and conservationist. She is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on orangutans, having spent 50 years studying the species in Borneo. In 1971, she studied primates in the wild under Louis Leakey alongside Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey. She has since established the Orangutan Foundation International to further her mission of protecting orangutans and their habitats from deforestation and poaching. Dr. Galdikas' contributions to primatology and conservation have earned her numerous accolades and recognition as one of the leading figures in the field.
Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue & more. Chloe has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on Covid’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in the Covid wards of the West Coast’s hardest hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Her first book, “Outside and In Between,” is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across America.
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