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Biruté Galdikas

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Biruté Galdikas
OC
Galdikas in 2011
Born
Birutė Marija Filomena Galdikas

(1946-05-10)10 May 1946
Wiesbaden, Greater Hesse, Germany
Died24 March 2026(2026-03-24) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationUCLA (BA, MA, PhD)
Known for
  • Study of orangutans
  • conservation
Children3
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsSimon Fraser University
ThesisOrangutan Adaptation at Tanjung Puting Reserve, Central Borneo
 (1978)

Birutė Marija Filomena Galdikas or Biruté Mary Galdikas OC (10 May 1946 – 24 March 2026) was a Canadian anthropologist, primatologist, conservationist, ethologist and author. She was a professor at Simon Fraser University. In the field of primatology, Galdikas was recognized as a leading authority on orangutans.[1] Prior to her field study of orangutans, scientists knew little about the species.[2]

Early life

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Galdikas was born on 10 May 1946 in Wiesbaden, Greater Hesse, Germany.[3] Her parents, Antanas and Filomena Galdikas, were Lithuanian refugees fleeing the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states following World War II.[4] When Galdikas was two years old, the family moved to Canada,[3] when her father signed a contract to work in copper mining in Quebec.[5] The following year, they relocated to Toronto, where Galdikas grew up.[5] Her father worked as a miner and a contractor. As a young child, Biruté's head was filled with visions of far-off forests and exotic creatures. The first book she borrowed from the Toronto Public Library was a tale about a monkey named Curious George.[6] When she grew older, she was inspired by the National Geographic adventures of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.[7] She had two younger brothers and a younger sister.[8][5]

Education

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In 1962, the Galdikas family moved to Vancouver.[5] Two years later, after Galdikas had begun studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the family moved to the United States, where Galdikas enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and studied psychology and zoology.[3] In 1966, she earned her bachelor's degrees in psychology and zoology, jointly awarded by UCLA and UBC. That year she also met her future husband, Rod Brindamour from Vancouver, who was on a trip to Los Angeles. She married Brindamour and earned her master's degree in anthropology from UCLA both in 1969.[3]

During her graduate studies at UCLA, Galdikas met paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, and proposed a plan aimed at studying orangutans in their natural habitats.[3] Galdikas convinced Leakey to help orchestrate her endeavour, despite his initial reservations. Leakey found funding from the National Geographic Society which agreed to establish a research facility in Borneo.[8][9] Galdikas's research became the basis of her doctoral studies, and she earned her doctorate in anthropology from UCLA in 1978.[8]

Works

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Research in Borneo

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In 1971, at age 25, Galdikas and her then-husband, photographer Rod Brindamour, arrived in Tanjung Puting Reserve, in Indonesian Borneo.[10] Galdikas was the third of a trio of women appointed by Leakey to study great apes in their natural habitat. Dubbed by Leakey "The Trimates"[11] the trio also comprised Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees, and Dian Fossey, who studied gorillas.[2] Leakey and the National Geographic Society helped Galdikas set up her research camp near the edge of the Java Sea, dubbed "Camp Leakey", to conduct field study on orangutans in Borneo.[1] Before Galdikas's studies, the orangutan was the least understood of the great apes.[12] Her long-term research at Camp Leakey, carried out in collaboration with her doctoral students Gary Shapiro (early 1980s)[13] and Graham L. Banes (2000s–2010s),[14] has spanned multiple generations of fieldwork and contributed substantially to understanding orangutan behaviour, ecology, and conservation.[15][16] Together, this collaborative body of work helped establish one of the most comprehensive longitudinal datasets on a wild great ape population. At the time, the research program constituted the world's longest continuous study of any mammal led by a single principal investigator.[17]

Orangutan Foundation International

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In 1986, Galdikas and her colleagues founded Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), based in Los Angeles, USA, to help support orangutans around the world.[10] Her second husband, Pak Bohap, who was a Dayak rice farmer and tribal president, assisted in setting up sister organisations in Australia, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom and is co-director of the orangutan program in Borneo.[10][18]

Advocacy and rehabilitation work

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Galdikas remained in Borneo for over 40 years while becoming an outspoken advocate for orangutans and the preservation of their rainforest habitat, which is rapidly being destroyed by loggers, palm oil plantations, gold miners, and unnatural conflagrations.[19] Galdikas's conservation efforts also extended beyond advocacy, with an additional focus on rehabilitation of the orphaned orangutans turned over to her for care. Many of these orphans were once illegal pets, before becoming too smart and difficult for their owners to handle.[1]

She wrote several books, including a memoir entitled Reflections of Eden.[10] In it, Galdikas describes her experiences at Camp Leakey and efforts to rehabilitate formerly captive orangutans and release them into the Borneo rainforest.[20]

Galdikas was a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and Professor Extraordinaire at Universitas Nasional in Jakarta, Indonesia.[10] She was also president of the Orangutan Foundation International in Los Angeles, California.[17]

In 2021, Galdikas became a patron of the nature conservation non-profit organisation the Ancient Woods Foundation [lt] aiming to protect the remaining old-growth forests in Lithuania with all the biodiversity there.[21][22]

Death

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Galdikas died in Los Angeles on 24 March 2026, at the age of 79. She had been battling lung cancer.[23]

Recognition

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Galdikas was featured in Life;[24] The New York Times;[11] The Washington Post;[25] the Los Angeles Times;[26] numerous television documentaries; and twice on the cover of National Geographic.[1][27]

In 1995, Galdikas was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[28]

Along with fellow Trimate Jane Goodall and preeminent field biologist George Schaller, Galdikas received the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 1997 for her groundbreaking field research and lifetime contributions to the advancement of environmental science.[12][29] Other honours include Indonesia's Hero for the Earth Award (Kalpataru);[10] Institute of Human Origins Science Award;[10] United Nations Global 500 Award (1993);[30] Elizabeth II Commemorative Medal;[10] the Eddie Bauer Hero of the Earth (1991);[30] PETA Humanitarian Award (1990);[30] the Sierra Club Chico Mendes Award (1992);[30] and the UCLA Professional Achievement Award (2001).[31] She was awarded a key to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.[32]

Media

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Books

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  • Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo (1995). ISBN 0316301868.
  • Orangutan Odyssey (1999). ISBN 978-0810936942.
  • Great Ape Odyssey (2005). Abrams: New York. ISBN 978-1-4351-1009-0.

Film and television

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Galdikas stared in the feature documentary Born to Be Wild 3D, released in April 2011.[33] She also appeared in the documentaries Nature (TV series, PBS, 2005);[34] Life and Times (TV series, CBC, 1996); 30 Years of National Geographic Specials (TV documentary, 1995);[35] Orangutans: Grasping the Last Branch (documentary, 1989); Beauty and the Beasts (Channel 4 UK documentary, 1996);[36] The Last Trimate (TV documentary, 2008);[37] She Walks with Apes (CBC TV documentary, 2019);[35][38] and Terry Pratchett's Jungle Quest (documentary, C4, UK 1995).[39]

Controversy

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Galdikas was criticised in the late 1990s regarding her methods of rehabilitation. Primatologists debated the issue on the Internet mailing list Primate-Talk;[40] the issue was further fuelled by the publication of articles in Outside magazine (May 1998)[41] and Newsweek (June 1998).[42] As reported in both articles and summarized in the 1999 book A Dark Place in the Jungle by Canadian novelist Linda Spalding,[43] the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry—with whom Galdikas had clashed over logging policies—claimed that Galdikas held "a very large number of illegal orangutans ... in very poor conditions" at her Indonesian home, prompting the government to consider formal charges.[40] Galdikas denied all such claims in a response to Newsweek in June 1999, remarking that allegations of mistreatment were "simply, wrong" and that the "outlandish" claims formed the basis of "a totally one-sided campaign against me."[44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Galdikas-Brindamour, Biruté (October 1975). "Orangutans, Indonesia's "People of the Forest"". National Geographic Magazine. Vol. 148, no. 4. pp. 444–473.
  2. ^ a b de Waal, Frans (January 1995). "The Loneliest of Apes". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c d e Spradley, Joseph L., ed. (2013). Scientists and Science. Great Lives From History. Vol. 2. Ipswich, Massachusetts: Salem Press. pp. 339–342. ISBN 978-1-58765-970-6 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Yount, Lisa (2007). A to Z of Women in Science and Math. Infobase Publishing. pp. 99–101. ISBN 978-1-4381-0795-0.
  5. ^ a b c d Gallardo, Evelyn (1993). Among the Orangutans: The Birute Galdikas Story. Chronicle Books. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0811804089. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  6. ^ Montgomery, Sy (2009). Walking with the Great Apes: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Biruté Galdikas. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-244-5.
  7. ^ Pfeiff, Margo (1993). "Mother to the Apes". Reader's Digest. 143 (855): 127–132.
  8. ^ a b c "Profile: Biruté Galdikas". www.science.ca. 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  9. ^ Gallardo, Evelyn (1993). Among the Orangutans: The Birute Galdikas Story. Chronicle Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0811804089. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Biruté Galdikas". Orangutan Foundation International Australia.
  11. ^ a b Galdikas, Birute Mary (6 January 2007). "The Vanishing Man of the Forest". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Tyler Environmental Prize". www.usc.edu. 1997. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007.
  13. ^ Shapiro, G. L. (1985). Factors influencing the variance in sign learning performance by four juvenile orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). Ph.D. thesis, University of Oklahoma.
  14. ^ Banes, G. L. (2013). Genetic analysis of social structure, mate choice and reproductive success in the endangered wild orang-utans of Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Republic of Indonesia. Ph.D. thesis, Darwin College, University of Cambridge.
  15. ^ Banes, G. L.; Galdikas, B. M. F.; Vigilant, L. (2015). "Male orang-utan bimaturism and reproductive success at Camp Leakey". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-015-1991-0
  16. ^ Banes, G. L.; Galdikas, B. M. F.; Vigilant, L. (2016). "Reintroduction of displaced orangutans affects their genetic diversity and population structure". Scientific Reports 6:22026. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep22026
  17. ^ a b "Scientist, conservationist, educator: for over five decades Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has studied and worked closely with the orangutans of Indonesian Borneo in their natural habitat, and is today the world's foremost authority on the orangutan". orangutan.org. Orangutan Foundation International.
  18. ^ "Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas—Dr. Galdikas Biography". Orangutan Foundation International. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  19. ^ McDowell, Robin (18 January 2009). "Palm oil frenzy threatens to wipe out orangutans". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  20. ^ Galdikas, Biruté Marija Filomena (1995). Reflections of Eden: my years with the orangutans of Borneo (1. paperback ed.). Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0316301868.
  21. ^ Sengirės fondas
  22. ^ "Birutė Galdikas tapo „Sengirės fondo" globėja: miškai yra vienos svarbiausių planetos ekosistemų". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian). 20 December 2021.
  23. ^ Chung, Emily (25 March 2026). "Canadian orangutan scientist Biruté Galdikas dead at 79". CBC. Ottawa: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  24. ^ Syken, Bill (13 May 2024). "Apes: Their Remarkable World". Life.
  25. ^ Kornheiser, Tony (1 May 1981). "The Call of the Apes". The Washington Post.
  26. ^ Maugh, Thomas H. II (13 January 1992). "Orangutans in the Mist: Woman's 20-Year Study of Elusive Rain Forest Apes Finds They're Not Antisocial After All". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ Galdikas, Biruté (June 1980). "Living with Orangutans". National Geographic Magazine. Vol. 157, no. 6. pp. 830–853.
  28. ^ "Dr. Biruté M.F. Galdikas". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  29. ^ "Primatologists Get Award for Environmental Work". Los Angeles Times. 11 March 1997.
  30. ^ a b c d Shell, Barry (2005). Sensational Scientists: The Journeys and Discoveries of 24 Men and Women of Science. Raincoast Books. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-55192-727-5.
  31. ^ "Biruté Galdikas '66, M.A. '69, Ph.D. '78". UCLA Alumni.
  32. ^ "Bio". Dr. Birute Galdikas Blog. 23 May 2009.
  33. ^ Merin, Jennifer (27 May 2017). "Born to Be Wild—Documentary Retroview (2011) | Cinema Citizen". Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
  34. ^ Olson, Eric R. (13 February 2005). "From Orphan to King ~ Pioneering Primatologist". Nature. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |pbulisher= ignored (help)
  35. ^ a b Wright, Patricia (February 2022). "Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas: Guardian Angel of Orangutans" (PDF). AnthroQuest. 46 (2).
  36. ^ "Sex and the Scientists: Beauty and the Beasts". 12 August 1996 – via www.imdb.com.
  37. ^ "The Last Trimate (2008)—The Screen Guide—Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au.
  38. ^ "She Walks with Apes | Nature of Things".
  39. ^ Cabell, Craig (27 October 2011). Terry Pratchett. Kings Road Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84358-864-1.
  40. ^ a b "News from academe: Monkey Business II". Slate. 20 June 1998. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  41. ^ [1] Archived 26 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ Hammer, Joshua (1 June 1998). "A typhoon in a rain-forest Eden". Newsweek. Vol. 131, no. 22. p. 58.
  43. ^ Spalding, Linda (1998). A Dark Place in the Jungle: Science, Orangutans, and Human Nature. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-56512-226-0.
  44. ^ Galdikas, Birute (29 June 1998). "Galdikas responds". Newsweek. Vol. 131, no. 26. p. 17.
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