Customer Reviews (2)

The Forgotten Great Ape
Orangutans by Robert Shumaker is a beautiful book, full ofpictures and interesting facts about orangutans.These amazing apes are among oour closest relatives, and are the great tool users among great apes.Read this book, and you will want to know more about orangutans

"Orangutans" is a Library Youth Services "must buy"
What a fantastic addition to any Youth Services collection! The photos and text coordinate beautifully and make for a very interesting read.This book can easily be used for a wide range of ages from grade school through high school.We are excited to enrich our library with this selection. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful!
This is a profoundly touching book.You will feel a lot of very strong emotions of all kinds reading it, and the end is devastating.Smith does a great job showing us the great spirit and soul of Sophie.My wife and I felt his loss keenly, and had tears.The pictures alone are worth the price of the book.Highly recommended.

WHAT A DELIGHT
What a wonderful, delightful book!I picked it up not knowing much about chimps, but the thought of raising one along with your own child was an amusing and amazing premise.The book never fails to be loving, interesting, and educational all at once.The author loved his little chimp just as he loved his wife and child, and his expressions of love and knowledge about the various animals (mostly chimpanzees) he talks about in this book are lovely.Man can often be very cruel and foolish and stupid, whereas it seems animals are just themselves.They can survive in all sorts of man-made zoos and such, with nary a complaint.Sophie, the chimp in this book, was a special and loving little creature who will grab your heart.Thank you to Vince Smith for sharing your deepest heart with us.

The unique account of rearing two babies side by side
A Chimp in the Family is the true story of an ecologist and conservationist who took an infant chimpanzee into his home when she was abandoned by her mother. Six months later, his son was born. A Chimp in the Family is the unique account of rearing two babies side by side as one's own kin. Offering heartfelt tales of struggling with infant care and the milestones of early childhood, A Chimp in the Family also offers the unique difficulties in attempting to persuade a hand-reared chimpanzee to socialize with others of its kind. Happiness and heartbreak blend in A Chimp in the Family, which details social and emotional bonds between humans and animals from an intensely personal point of view.

Unsentimental and touching
this book proved far better than many similar works about raising baby animals. it is well written and not excessively sentimental or anthropomorphic, though the author does discuss the close relationship between chimps and humans, genetically and behaviorally.

be prepared: it has an unhappy ending.

definitely worth a read. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, published by Mississippi Academy of Sciences on April 1, 2002. The length of the article is 371 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Behavioral and physiological effects of environmental enrichment for Garnett's bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii). (Health Sciences).(Brief Article)
Author: S. Watson
Publication: Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2002
Publisher: Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Volume: 47Issue: 2Page: 142(2)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Fully illustrated with 90 color photos, this is an engrossing true story that combines Cenzoo's tale with information about African lowland gorillas. Readers accompany Cenzoo on his plane ride to Denver, as he is reunited with his mother, explores his new home, and settles into a routine of learning, climbing, nesting, and play. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must-have for gorilla lovers
This is a must have book for anyone who loves gorillas. It chronicles the heartwarming story of a baby gorilla & his family as they travel to their new home showing how they adapt to their new environment.The bookstarts off with the tale of Cenzoo, the baby gorilla, who was abandoned& near dead. It details his and his families (him & mother, anotherfemale, & a silverback male) airplane adventure to their new home in aDenver zoo. The story continues to follow the lives of the gorilla familyas they acclimate to their new home. There are many observations about howa gorilla's behavior differs in captivity versus in the wild. I really likehow each gorilla's personality traits were described. I truly felt as if Igot to know each of the gorillas. Lots of time is also given the plight ofthe vanishing gorillas & what is being done to help.

Excellent
Absorbing, thought-provoking, informative, well-written!Wish it was longer -- with more details about the author's experience with the gorillas in Rwanda and well as more pictures of the Primate Panorama and Cenzoo's daily activities.I've put a visit to the zoo on my travel list. ... Read more

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Gorillas, one of our closest living relatives, are the largest living primates, and teeter on the brink of extinction. This study offers the first comparative perspective on gorilla populations throughout their natural range, and covers all known subspecies. Discussing phylogeny, evolution, functional morphology, behavioral ecology and conservation biology, this multidisciplinary work will be essential reading for primatologists, anthropologists, animal behaviorists and evolutionary biologists. ... Read more

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In 1978, when Bill Weber and Amy Vedder arrived in Rwanda to study mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey, the gorilla population was teetering toward extinction. Poaching was rampant, but it was loss of habitat that most endangered the gorillas. When yet another slice of the Parc des Volcans in the Virunga Mountains was targeted for development, Weber and Vedder recognized that the gorillas were doomed unless something was done to save their land. Over Fossey's objections, they helped found the Mountain Gorilla Project. The MGP was designed to educate Rwandans about the gorillas and about the importance of conservation, while at the same time establishing an ecotourism project -- one of the first anywhere in a rainforest -- to bring desperately needed revenue to Rwanda. Weber and Vedder realized that Rwandans were bearing the full cost of saving the gorillas while receiving none of the benefit; the MGP would change that formula and help to meet local people's needs.

In the Kingdom of Gorillas introduces readers to the world of mountain gorillas. Through the authors we come to know entire families of gorillas, from powerful silverback patriarchs, who fiercely protect their territory and their families, to helpless newborn infants, cradled in their mother's embrace. Weber and Vedder take us with them as they slog through the rain-soaked moun- tain forests, observing the gorillas at rest and at play, eating, grooming, and preparing their nightly nests. They tell us about the gorillas they recognized and came to know as individuals, stories both tragic and joyful. They describe a landscape that was heaven one day, green hell the next. And they tell of their discovery of the terrible and mysterious events surrounding Fossey's murder.

When the authors first arrived in Rwanda, European expatriates called it "the Switzerland of Africa," a name that referred not only to its high mountains and rugged beauty but also to Rwanda's relative political and economic stability. Most outsiders knew the country only for its endangered gorillas, but Rwanda was a nation in danger, too. In the 1980s Weber and Vedder expanded their conservation work in Rwanda to include other forest reserves, learning more about the country, its people, and its increasingly turbulent politics. When a simmering civil war exploded into genocide in 1994, Weber and Vedder were in the U.S., unable to contact their many friends and colleagues trapped in the horrendous bloodbath. Later they would hear tales of brutality but also of heroism, including stories of park workers who hid their countrymen to protect them from slaughter. Others continued to work in the face of danger and without pay for nearly a year. Ironically, throughout the genocide and the subsequent conflict, the Virunga homeland of the gorillas was scarcely touched.

Today the population of mountain gorillas is the highest it has been since the 1960s, and there is new hope for the species' fragile future even as the people of Rwanda strive to overcome their ethnic differences.

Rich with details about the gorillas' lives, the realities of conservation, and portraits of ordinary people caught in extraordinary times, this is a riveting adventure story that is sure to take its place among the classic accounts of the world of nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

They've proved that man is the most dangerous animal
I read this book while in Rwanda for gorilla tracking, and, as such, was really hopeful that it would give me greater insight into the history of Rwanda and the gorilla conservation movement.

While there is much within the book that is interesting, I found myself so turned off by their continued sniping and disparagement of Dian Fossey's character (even in the pages immediately following her death), that I had to question their perspectives and motives overall.They struck me as "Salieris"... so clearly jealous of her, her fame (which they have obviously never achieved) that their petty remembrances (she drank too much, she didn't give us wood) tainted the whole book.They were hired by her, clearly had a personality clash and then never got over it.Or perhaps they felt these tabloid "inside scoops" on Dian Fossey would help to sell more books?

Either way, they have lost.They didn't seem like good scientists or good people to me.

Highly, highly recommended!!!
I had this book for many years before actually picking it up to read.I bought it while working at a bookstore and even though I have a wildlife biology background, I do not have a particular interest in gorillas so it took me awhile to get around to reading it.That being said, this was one of the most thorough, interesting, honest, and engaging books that I have ever read on any species or wildlife related issue!Hats off to Bill and Amy because they are two of the most honest authors that I have ever read.They told the whole story about their lives and experiences with the gorillas, even when the facts did not neccessarily portray them in a good light!That makes this read extremely refreshing and their telling of accounts undoubtably truthful and honest!!This should be required reading for any student of international wildlife management/conservation but will be an engaging read for anyone interested in gorillas, wildlife, conservation or the events that took place in and around Rwanda in the 90's.Highly recommended!!Wish there were more books like this on wildlife related issues out there!!

Required Reading for anyone looking for conservation methods that work
This is a great book. Not only does it tell an incredible story. But it also illustrates one of the realities of saving wildlife and habitat. People don't kill wildlife or destroy forests out of spite. They are driven to it for economic reasons; namely, they have no other way to feed their familes. So, in order to change their behaviours, they have to be offered alternatives. The work of Bill Weber and Amy Vetter offered alternatives to Rwandans. Their living standards rose (excluding the effects of genocide and civil war, of course) and poaching and habitat destruction were reduced. A great case study.

But, much more than that, it is also an enjoyable, well written account of the lives and dreams of a great pair of people.

If You're Going To The Gorillas, Read This First
Let me start by saying that the only criticism I have of this book is that it doesn't talk about the gorillas themselves, their lives and behavior, all that much.If you want a natural history of gorillas, look elsewhere.

Having said that--this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it, especially if you're going to Rwanda.The book follows the development of the Mountain Gorilla Project from the last years of Dian Fossey's life through the Rwandan genocideand beyond.It is written by the couple who took over the Project after Fossey's murder, and tells their story in fascinating detail.It is a record of the ongoing struggle to maintain a national park in a poor country, of the commitment and hard work of a few people--Europeans, Americans, Rwandans--in difficult and even deadly circumstances, and, most importantly, of the interactions of poverty, politics, personality, corruption, ignorance, education, inspiration, fear, courage, joy and tragedy in the real world of conservation biology.

While this is about one country, one park (mostly) and one species, it will give the reader a much clearer understanding of the diffculties faced by field biologists, park rangers, conservationists and governments the world over who are trying to preserve wild places.

The book is written in a lively, conversational style and makes every effort to be even-handed with some difficult personalities (Fossey's not least of these).Even though the book devotes only a chapter to the horror of the genocide, it presents the events in both a larger context and very personal, affecting detail.In fact, one of the great strengths of the book is its graceful incorporation of the big picture and the snapshot to tell a whole story.

If you're going to Rwanda (or if you've been there)--BUY THIS BOOK!

An honest look at Gorilla history and research
Mountain Gorilla conservation and protection is a tenuous, difficult and sad story of the plight of these wonderful, intelligent beings.The truth of Dian Fossey's last years is also painful to digest.This book is forthright and eye-opening. ... Read more

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In this lecture, Jane Goodall, who has written many popular biology books and is a campaigner for animal conservation, describes her work in the Gombe Stream Game Reserve. Despite political and social upheavals in Africa, Dr Goodal has spent the last 30 years observing and researching the Gombe chimpanzees. She shows how chimpanzees have unique personalities and develop complex psychological, social and political relationships with one another. Biologically only 1% different to humans, the Gombe chimpanzees show remarkably human emotional characteristics, as this book describes. ... Read more

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Without the extraordinary efforts of the editors and authors of this book, three of the four lion tamarin species (golden, golden-headed, black-faced, and black) would most likely be extinct. The contributors' hard work set international standards and became the model for the preservation of other endangered species. There is, of course, still much to be done, and this comprehensive assessment of research findings and conservation efforts leads the way. The first section of the book covers the history and framework of research and conservation for the four species, stressing the importance of both group and individual efforts. Part II examines the principal research fields that have played an important role in contributing to the management of the species in captivity and the wild; the authors maintain that there is no substitute for long-term data and good science when developing recovery and conservation programs. Part III focuses on direct interventions to conserve wild populations and their habitats as guided by scientific and educational principles. Kleiman and Rylands close the book by noting the remarkable accomplishments of lion tamarin conservation, and look hopefully toward future directions and challenges. ... Read more

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The woolly spider monkey, or muriqui, is one of the most threatened primate species in the world. Because of deforestation in their natural habitat—the Atlantic coastal forests of southeastern Brazil—the muriquis are confined to less than 3 percent of their original range. As of 1987, there were only a dozen forest fragments known to support a total muriqui population of about 500. As of 1998, at least 20 forests are known to support at least 1,000 muriquis. This book traces the natural history of the muriqui from its scientific discovery in 1806 to its current, highly endangered status.

Karen Strier provides a case study of this scientifically important primate species by balancing field research and ecological issues. Through her accessible presentation, readers gain a broad understanding of primate behavior and tropical conservation.

Customer Reviews (2)

The best book on the Muriqui
Great read on the largest primate (after humans) in the American continent.Dr. Strier is the leading researcher on the Muriqui and does a lot of field work herself, so the book reflects her first hand knowledge.A write up of a visit to the reserve of Muriquis mentioned in the book can be found on my blog.

On New World apes
The book tells the story of Karen Strier's 20 year long research among the muriquis, the largest primate of the Americas, on a rain forest conservation unit in Caratinga, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Karen's findings have enabled her to write a very influential article criticizing the "myth of the typical primate". It is a solid work of primatology and yet very much readable. It contains scholarly work without pedantry. Itdocuments an exemplary scientific carreer dedicated to research and the environment. ... Read more

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Research on the mental abilities of chimpanzees and bonobos has been widely celebrated and used in reconstructions of human evolution. In contrast, scant attention has been paid to the abilities of gorillas and orangutans. This volume aims to complete the picture of hominoid cognition by bringing together the work on gorillas and orangutans and setting it in comparative perspective. This book's introductory chapters set the evolutionary context for comparing cognition in gorillas and orangutans to that of chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The remaining chapters focus primarily on the kinds and levels of intelligence displayed by orangutans and gorillas compared to other great apes, including performances in the classic domains of tool use and tool making, imitation, self awareness, social communication, and symbol use. ... Read more

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Tucked into one of the most beautiful and conflicted regions of the world are the last of the mountain gorillas. These apes have survived centuries of human encroachment into their habitat and range and decades of intense conflict and violence. The remaining 720 mountain gorillas exist in a fragile habitat, nestled in an area torn by human interests and needs for land, water, and minerals.

With captivating photography and the most recent scientific research, Mountain Gorillas takes you deep into the montane rain forests of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to reveal the complex story of the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Volcanos and Bwindi. Gene Eckhart and Annette Lanjouw reveal how humankind affects the gorillas and their habitat, detail the innovative conservation and education efforts undertaken by governments and nongovernmental organizations, and explain how ecotourism and other conservation-focused enterprises support efforts to protect the two mountain gorilla populations.

This perfect blend of intimate photography, thought-provoking scholarship, and engaging stories demonstrates the inexorable ties among the animals, environment, and peoples of the region, and makes clear why the continued existence of the Virunga and Bwindi gorillas is so important. Mountain Gorillas features stunning photos and four appendices documenting key biological and ecological information, habitat vegetation, milestones in mountain gorilla conservation, and travel information.

Customer Reviews (8)

The book you need before seeing the gorillas
There are plenty of text heavy books on the market about African wildlife, and many with pretty pictures that give a sense of place without any real information about the wildlife or the challenges faced by the continent's animals.

This book manages to combine both. It has pertinent information about conservation but is not all grim reading, enlivened by Gene Eckhart's superb photography.

If you are heading to Central Africa to see the gorillas, this is the book you simply must have.

Peter Allison
Author
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide

mountain gorillas:biology, conservation and coexistance

In February of this year I was "up the mountain" visiting the Gorillas and it was absolutely wonderful, so I was wanting a book that I could relate to in text and pictures and this is it. An amazing book. I can show parts of this book to people and say, "I was there"!! The photography is brilliant. Thank you.

Amazing Book
This is an amazing book especially for the price. It is full of beautiful photos and information. This is by far the best book on Gorillas I have seen.

A Instant Classic!!
A superb and up to date account of the mountain gorilla. The pictures alone are worth the price of admission!! The text is excellent and detailed but very readable for all. I have read alot of books on the mountain gorilla and I have enjoyed them all, but I must say, that this is one of the best.

Great Photography
This book is full of photos that draw you in to the world of mountain gorillas. Their story is really amazing and Eckhart and Lanjouw tell it well. This book is great for anyone who enjoys good photography or is looking for a great cause to get behind. ... Read more