Course

Primate Behavioral Ecology in East Africa

SFS 3151

Primate Behavioral Ecology in East Africa

4 credits

This course exposes students to primate behavioral ecology in southern Kenya, home to nearly two dozen of Africa’s monkey species. The Amboseli Tsavo Ecosystem is the focus of this course, where habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and human-primate conflicts are the major challenges to primate conservation. The effects have been amplified by an increasing human population in rural areas, often accompanied by agricultural expansion and intensified resource use. We will meet members of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project team and learn the history and current state of primates in Eastern Africa. We will complete surveys among the Maasai pastoralists and local farmers to better understand human-primate conflict and cultural values and uses of primates in the region. We will also observe the interactions between tourists and primates in the Amboseli National Park. Lastly, we will apply learned primate research techniques in the field to identify behavioral patterns of olive baboons and blue monkeys in their natural habitat.

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Summer Session 1

Elephants of the African Savanna

Kenya
4 Weeks
4 Credits
Summer 2025
Jun 2 - Jul 1
Open