Spotlight on Jill Pruetz

A few years ago, I was excited to learn that there would be an online primatology course offered through Iowa State University. Yes, I had already taken an intro-level primatology course while at University of Delaware, but that's where my official primatology educated ended. You see, higher-level primatology courses are not taught at all universities, and being that I really discovered my love of primatology after graduating from college and starting my work career, I was not able to simply pick up and move to a place that had established primatology post-graduate courses (like Wisconsin or Washington.)

An distance-learning primatology course was perfect for me, so I eagerly signed up. You can read more about the course here.

I was happy to learn that it would be taught by Jill Pruetz, a world-renowned chimpanzee expert with an active research project at a site in Senegal. Some of the lessons even involved live-feeds from Jill, direct in Senegal!

photo credit: Frans Lanting / National Geographic

The class was well-done and I learned a lot, including how much fun it is to say "ischial callosities" Google it. It's fun.

Since then, I have continued to follow Jill and her research.

She was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2008, and her work has been written about in many places, like this National Geographic Magazine article. Knowing her, I would think she is most proud of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project, a 12-year (and counting!) research project that follows a troop of savanna woodland chimpanzees in Senegal. It was at this site in 2006 that Jill and her team documented a female chimpanzee sharpening a stick into a spear, and using it to hunt and kill another mammal (in this case, a small, tree-dwelling primate called a bush baby).

This was HUGE! Previously, it was thought that only humans used tools to hunt mammals. Similar to when Jane Goodall's research first proved tool use amongst chimpanzees - prompting a re-evealuation of what it meant to be human - Jill's research proved once again that behavior that had been considered unique to humans is indeed shared by other primates. Her site's team would continue to observe this spear-hunting behavior again and again.

Jill has not rested on her laurels - she actually seems busier than ever. She continues to teach in Iowa and maintain other projects within the primatology world, but it's clear that she tries to spend as much time as possible in Senegal,where her work is never done.

The social network of the chimpanzees in Fongoli is changing constantly, and 2012 the research site was saddened to learn of the death (due to snakebite) of chimpanzee Tia, which left her two offspring orphaned. Her five year old daughter, Aimee, disappeared later in the year and it is assumed that she met an unfortunate fate. Her two month old, Toto, was too young to be on his own and in this rare instance, the researchers had to intervene and care for him if he were to survive. So far, he is thriving and over a year old! Click here to buy a t-shirt to help support and fund care for little Toto.

photo credit : Stacy Lindshield / Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project

So there you go - a little snippet about a very cool and inspiring lady who has accomplished great things in the primatology sphere.

I finally met Jill in person at the Great Ape Summit last month.

It's always exciting to finally meet someone in person when you really admire their work. I was nervous at first, but Jill is so kind and down-to earth that I was quickly at ease.

Plus, she enjoys reading Monkey Business and really likes pumpkin coffee, so now I think she's even cooler...