Primate Conservation Limelight
Shirley McGreal
Dr. Shirley McGreal has dedicated her life’s work to protecting all primates from harm and abuse at human hands. From founding the International Primate Protection League in 1973 to her tireless (and sometimes dangerous) work to thwart primate smuggling rings to working with international governments to ban primate exporting, Shirley has helped create awareness of the vital need to protect all primates, great and small—and her work has saved the lives of thousands of primates around the world.
Shirley spoke to New England Primate Conservancy from the IPPL’s gibbon sanctuary in Summerville, South Carolina, where dozens of rescued gibbons live today.
Shirley spoke to New England Primate Conservancy from the IPPL’s gibbon sanctuary in Summerville, South Carolina, where dozens of rescued gibbons live today.
Where are you from originally? Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in England but received my doctorate in India. I’ve lived in Thailand and France, as well as in Illinois and Ohio in the United States. Eventually, I settled in South Carolina, where I established our gibbon sanctuary in 1977. How did you begin in the field of primate conservation? I was originally planning a career as a college teacher, but my experiences in Thailand in the 1970's set me on another path. I was shocked by the deplorable treatment of monkeys like the stump-tailed macaque and baby gibbons that I saw while in Bangkok—I knew I had to do something. It was the beginning of my journey. When I began my research, I found that illegal trading practices were depleting many of the world’s primate species and that no single organization was protecting all primates. It was then I saw the need for the International Primate Protection League. What has been the proudest moment of your career thus far? If not proudest, perhaps you could tell us about your most memorable? I’m quite proud to say that our work has been successful in banning the export of monkeys in five countries, including India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Malaysia. Editor’s note: Shirley has received worldwide recognition for her tireless efforts to protect all the world’s primates. Her dedication has known no boundaries, even those for her own personal safety. In the 1990's, she went undercover to expose a ring of primate smugglers, work which was recognized by the Interpol Wildlife Crime Group/Dutch Police League. Other accomplishments include:
Looking toward the future of primate conservation, what makes you most hopeful? What makes you most concerned? At times, I don’t feel hopeful, but I am a pessimist by nature. I see many large conservation groups that collect tens of millions of dollars, have inflated salaries that cannot possibly be justified, and yet they don’t have effective programs. So much money is going to these large organizations. This concerns me. It’s why our organization gives to small groups. For the future, I hope—what I’d like to see—is that more young people are better educated and informed, especially about the challenge of habitat destruction, so they can make change happen. About the International Primate Protection League
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Born in 2002, Courtney was a “surprise baby” born at IPPL. Her mother, Michelle, never showed signs of pregnancy, and her father, Maui, had a failed vasectomy. Sadly, at just 12 days old, her mother attacked her and shattered Courtney's left leg. Thanks to IPPL’s wonderful veterinarian, Courtney survived the major surgery required to repair her leg and made a full recovery. Because she was rejected by her mother, Courtney was hand-raised by IPPL staff, including two special night-nannies and volunteers, for over six years. Her caregivers took turns feeding her, playing with her, and taking her for walks around the sanctuary grounds. Now an adult, Courtney lives with her mate, Whoop-Whoop, a former lab gibbon. |
Photos courtesy of © the International Primate Protection League
By Christine Regan-Davi, October 2019