Projects

My behavioural research aims to answer the following questions: 1) How do behavioural measures of animal personality influence the reintroduction success of bearded capuchin monkeys in Brazil?; and 2) How does frequency of stereotypic behaviour displayed in rescue centre captivity correlate with time spent at the rescue centre, time spent interacting with group members and frequency of stereotypic behaviour displayed in a soft release enclosure? This work presents a case study, examining the question: What are best practices for collaborative rehabilitation and reintroduction of capuchin monkeys in Brazil, optimizing release success, and human, primate and ecosystem wellbeing?

As part of my bearded capuchin monkey reintroduction research, I developed collaborations with local people in the area of release, to try to understand and integrate the perspectives of local community members. This involved conducting interviews with community members site about their attitudes and perceptions towards the wild monkeys, their interactions with the forest and natural resources, and their viewpoints towards the keeping of monkeys as captive pets and hunting wild monkeys. Working with government and nonprofit agencies, we were able to share knowledge and resources on environmental education, wildlife conservation and fire prevention.

I plan to visit several wildlife rescue centres in Latin America to conduct interviews in hopes of developing a universal comprehensive system that reviews and evaluates the effectiveness and ethical integrity of individual rescue centres. This work is in the preliminary stages, and will provide further updates as it progresses.