Primate partnership
by Michèle Nardelli
When
you look into the eyes of a chimpanzee, it's no coincidence that you
feel a connection. As UniSA psychology lecturer, Dr Carla Litchfield
says apes are just very hairy humans.
Dr Litchfield teaches psychology by day but primates, and in particular the great apes, are a passion that has endured from childhood, despite the very harsh realities of working with apes.
"Any child who loved animals probably adored monkeys and the idea of getting up close and personal," Litchfield said.
"But the truth is working with primates is hard and unglamorous. It is filthy and stinky and we get sick. We pick up all sorts of parasites in the jungle. The other thing many don't realise is that the animals we study are often the ones that have been injured or crippled so they are sick and in pain."
At the same time Litchfield says it is one of the most amazingly intense and adventurous experiences a person can have.
"I like to describe it as heaven and hell."
Litchfield has worked with the great apes in Uganda over
12 years, funding her research trips by grape picking, waiting on tables and
tutoring because there are little or no funds for primate research coming
from Australia.
Today she spends her spare time helping people to understand that our destinies are linked. Looking after apes, she says, means looking after people.
The destruction of primates is not only caused by the much publicised destruction of their habitat.
Litchfield says the bush meat trade is not only a threat to their survival but also to ours.
"Researchers are now reasonably sure that HIV I and II leapt across the primate/human divide because chimps and other primates were eaten by humans – the same seems to apply to the Ebola virus," she said. "We know that the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) has many more strains that could cross the divide. And it applies to other wild animals as well – some of the most lethal diseases can cross species – SARS and Bird Flu are good examples. Our own colds can wipe out a group of great apes too."
For these reasons Litchfield believes responsible tourism and responsible behaviours are vital, not only for animal wellbeing but for our own.
Litchfield has just been invited to join the board of the United Nations Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP-Australia), an honour she is delighted to accept and another reason to continue her regular community talks informing people about the plight of apes.
She is also dedicated to the relationship between research work carried out in zoos such as the Adelaide Zoo and the long-term wellbeing of animals in captivity and in the wild.
"I have three students undertaking research projects at the zoo helping to enhance the wellbeing of zoo animals by creating activities for them to enjoy. One of those projects involves developing touch screen communications for the orangutans – something we hope one day to be a point of interaction between visitors and the apes."