From 'Curious George'to Conservation Icon

Credit: Orangutan Foundation International

It’s not often we get the opportunity to listen to a living legend in person, but on 6 August at Newcastle City Hall, Dr Biruté Galdikas will be giving her only Australian public lecture, ‘Orangutans – A Conservation Legacy’.

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Alongside Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Dr Galdikas is a legendary pioneer of the global conservation movement, and together, they are known as the ‘Trimates’, three women who chose to live among the Great Apes to ignite a worldwide consciousness of the plight of our closest living ancestors.

The story of Dr Galdikas began when she read “Curious George” as a child growing up in Canada and was inspired to follow her dream of becoming an explorer. She studied at the University of British Columbia and UCLA in natural sciences, psychology, anthropology and zoology before convincing the famous anthropologist Dr Louis Leakey (the man who sourced the funding for both Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey’s work) to help her fund her work with orangutans in Indonesia.

In 1971, she began living in the remote and wild Tanjung Puting Reserve in Indonesian Borneo, setting up Camp Leakey to document the ecology and behaviour of the wild orangutans. Today she continues to live with orangutans, working with locals, governments, and other scientists as the world’s foremost authority on the species and the challenges faced through loss of habitat.

In 2018, Emeritus Professor Tim Roberts AM, President of the Hunter Innovation and Science Hub and passionate STEM outreach facilitator, began taking students from the University of Newcastle on two-week cultural tours to visit Camp Leakey and to see the work of Dr Galdikas firsthand.

“I’ve been trying to get Dr Galdikas to come and inspire our Conservation Biologists for some time,” said Professor Roberts.

“I was able to raise $15,000 to pay for the visit, and I’m hoping that it can inspire lots of young people to preserve our own natural species, protect habitats, and ensure biodiversity for our future.”

Popular ABC presenter, producer and nature journalist Dr Ann Jones and Dr Kira Mileham, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission, will join Dr Galdikas on stage. Tickets range from $20pp to $90pp and can be purchased from www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au.