I am the Leader of the Conservation Psychology and Applied Animal Behaviour Research Group. My passion is animal behaviour! I am involved in research and community work with organisations that promote animal psychological and physical wellbeing (in captivity and natural environments), and conservation. I am particularly involved in primate research and conservation (Great Apes) but have also worked with and for marine mammals, canids, felids, birds and other animals. See my 11 articles for The Conversation. Just working with wildlife is not enough to save species from extinction---since without changing human behaviour to become more sustainable (reduce consumption patterns and waste, minimise conflict with wildlife) it is almost impossible to save wildlife and natural habitats. I am applying principles of psychology to issues such as illegal trade in wildlife (e.g. rhino horn, exotic pet trade) and promoting use of behaviour-change principles to global and local conservation issues (e.g. mobile phone recycling, palm oil consumption, water conservation) in a way that moves beyond traditional economic and ecological modelling, and encourages listening to other experts (e.g. children, local communities). My work in the area of conservation psychology promotes living in harmony with nature, communicating honestly about animals and the environment, and compassionate conservation (welfare of animals in captivity & real-world/wild; and recognising human issues in developing countries). Since 2005, I have been giving presentations about Conservation Psychology at conferences, community conservation group events, Science Week events, and to University students, high school and primary school students.
I have collaborated with Dr Philip Roetman and the Discovery Circle team in the Cat Tracker Citizen Science project, culminating in the largest sample of pet cat personality results ever collected and analysed (>3,000) and published as "The Feline Five". One issue I promote is to keep your distance from wildlife (to avoid disease transmission and stress to animals), and that means not having photos taken up-close with wildlife. As part of my Ph.D. in Animal Behaviour (Psychology, University of Adelaide), I conducted behavioural enrichment research projects at Adelaide Zoo with chimpanzees and caracals. The chimpanzees were given the opportunity to explore, play and manipulate a number of novel objects and food puzzles. The caracals were able to 'hunt' artificial prey moving along a flying fox above them. In 1994 I spent a year observing a community of 'wild' chimpanzees in Uganda- the start of an ongoing committment to the Great apes of Uganda. I have served as a scientific expert at Population and Habitat Viability Assessments for chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in Uganda run by the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG). The International Gorilla Conservation Programme consulted me for their review of Gorilla Tourism Guidelines. I have been closely involved with responsible tourism programmes in Uganda and written a book for tourists visiting the African Great Apes (published by the Travellers’ Medical and Vaccination Centre in Adelaide). The Australian Science Communicators awarded me the “Unsung Hero of Australian Science” in 2000 for my work with African Great Apes. I was the President of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia in 2013, and served there as Vice President for six years, being an elected board member from 1999-2013. I am also on the Board of the United Nation's "Great Ape Survival Project" or GRASP (Australasia). I am the current President of the Australasian Primate Society.
I have developed and teach a Conservation Psychology course at UniSA and have co-authored articles about this exciting area and how it may contribute to changing unsustainable human behaviour in order to help conserve our planet's precious wildlife and natural environments. I have written science books for children about animals ('The Chimpanzee Book: Apes Like Us'; 'The Gorilla Book: Born to be Wild'; 'Saving Pandas'; 'Saving Tigers'; 'Saving Orangutans') and conservation for Walker Books- with part proceeds going to conservation projects in habitat countries. These books encourage children to connect with nature and understand that we can all do something to change our human unsustainable behaviour patterns. My Saving Tigers book was featured in an article in "The Advertiser". I have led tours as a scientific expert for ZoosSA and Peregrine travel to Uganda, ,Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (chimps and gorillas), Tanzania (including chimps at Dr Jane Goodall's site at Gombe), Kenya (savannah species), Borneo (orangutans) and India (tigers and Asiatic lions in wild; sloth bears and elephants in a sanctuary) to visit responsible tourism projects and research/conservation sites with proceeds going to the conservation projects we visit. To find out more about me and my research interests, watch my TEDx Adelaide presentation.