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Chronicle Books
I first met Dr. Biruté Galdikas in 1984 when I traveled to Borneo to work with her as a volunteer on the Orangutan Project. A student of Dr. Louis Leakey, and a colleague of both Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Dr. Galdikas is the world's leading authority on the
life and behavior of the mysterious orangutan. In this biography I present a candid
portrait of the life of a field scientist triumphs, tragedies, leeches and all. You can find
copies at your local book store or order it online direct from the publisher Chronicle Books or at Amazon Books by following the links on the left margin.
"It will rouse readers of all ages..." - Publisher's Weekly
"This one will grab the reader right from the cover." - Booklure
Whether you're on the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania or standing in the parking lot outside your very first book store, the feelings of trepidation are the same.
...the first two months of research were frustrating. Biruté woke up each morning long
before daylight to search for wild orangutans, and she returned at dusk each night
drenched by rain, caked with mud, and bleeding from leech bites.
Biruté quickly learned to walk quietly through the forest and to listen for clues. The sound of fruit pits or bark hitting the ground was a telltale sign that an orangutan was
eating nearby. More than once, she heard crashing branches as an orangutan traveled through the trees, only to lose the animal in the dense rain forest. On a few occasions,
Biruté tracked slower-moving females with infants for up to two or three hours, but as
soon as the apes realized they were being followed, they threw broken branches at her
and loudly smacked their lips and grunted in protest. But she knew that only through
repeated contact would she be able to earn the orangutans' trust.