Lecture Inspires Students to Help Endangered Orangutans
by Brandi Segura

Last spring, UNLV’s department of anthropology, the Anthropology Society, and Orangutan Foundation International partnered together to present an event featuring internationally known primatologist Biruté Galdikas, Ph.D.

Galdikas has spent 25 years documenting behavior of orangutans. She spoke to a full house about preserving the species and rainforests in Borneo.

“Dr. Galdikas is such an iconic, famous person. She was one of the original primatologists placed in the field to study primates in the wild. Jane Goodall was placed with chimps, and Dian Fossey was placed with gorillas. These women were on covers of National Geographic regularly,” says Debra Martin, professor and chair for UNLV’s anthropology department.

Martin recounted a particularly moving part of the lecture when Galdikas wove a connection between palm oil used in highly processed foods in the U.S. to the destruction of forests in Borneo and other parts of Indonesia. As forests are destroyed, so is animal life.

Martin was not the only person inspired. Students Marc and Amanda Carner decided to visit Borneo for three weeks this past summer after hearing the lecture.

“When I heard that Dr. Galdikas was coming to UNLV, I was absolutely overjoyed,” says Amanda Carner. “We decided to volunteer because it would be beneficial not only
for our education, but also for the orangutans.”

The event was generously funded by UNLV alumnus Bill Hunt and his wife Rebecca. An encore lecture with Galdikas is planned this spring.