Primate Ethnographies ed. by Karen B. Strier (review)

This fascinating collection—more than twenty first-hand narratives by field scientists—will appeal to any reader interested in stories about animals in their native habitats, and it should be required reading for any student contemplating a career in primatology field science. The “ethnographies” of the title refers to human communities (scientists and other humans living near their field sites), communities that include both scientists and the non-human primates they study, and sometimes communities of apes, monkeys, or lemurs themselves.

Primate Ethnographies represents a significant shift since the publication of Primate Encounters (ed. Strum and Fedigan), a state-of-the-discipline volume from the University of Chicago Press (2000). “The most introspective of the natural sciences” (Strier, p. 9), primatology was then marked by stresses related to an examination of its own culture; now, environmental pressures already noted by some contributors to the 2000 volume have become the central, defining theme in contemporary primatology. Bonobos and mountain gorillas may be among the most charismatic of endangered primates, but they belong to a diverse biological order that includes so many species, some living in such isolated regions, that they are in danger of becoming extinct before they have been scientifically described. Some of these stories concern charismatic primate species, others obscure and critically endangered species such as the small Kenyan bush baby that (when this book was published) had no generally agreed upon scientific description or Latin name.

Among the most riveting accounts are “Stress in the Wilds” (Beehner and Bergman), about following baboons through the great seasonal swamps of Botswana, and geladas through the mountains of Ethiopia; “A Tale of Two Monkeys” (Farrari) about an association of Amazonian saddleback tamarins and pygmy marmosets, in which the marmosets seem to get the short end of the stick; “There’s a Monkey in My Kitchen (and I like It): Fieldwork with Macaques in Bali and Beyond” (Fuentes); and “Studying Apes in a Human Landscape” (Pruetz), which suggests that since humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas are “sympatric” in this area of Senegal, the very practice of habituating study troops creates extra risks for these already-endangered animals. Strier’s own chapter on her work with Brazilian muriquis begins the volume with the argument that human communities in proximity to primate populations are not only essential pieces of the puzzle, but also potential supports for the work of studying and protecting them.

Although a principal theme of Primate Ethnographies is the threat of extinction in the wild for many, or most, of the planet’s primates, this is in some ways a hopeful volume. The contributors’ humor, honesty, and dedication are enough, I think, to garner the support of casual readers who in various ways influence governments, educational institutions, and private foundations supporting wildlife conservation. Equally important, these stories serve to encourage students for their journeys along the same path.