ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION FOR THE 4th ANNUAL MEETING
OF THE MIDWEST PRIMATE INTEREST GROUP

12th & 13th October 12th & 13th 2007,
Hosted by the Department of Anthropology,
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Roundtable Discussion - Friday October 12, 4:30-6 p.m.
Dunn-Richmond Center, Pleasant Hill Road
(Reception following, same place)

Primates in the Wild and in Captivity

Though initially animal exhibits primarily functioned as year-round entertainment centers, today, modern zoos have set new priorities, and envision themselves as active agents in scientific inquiry, ambassadors of conservation efforts for endangered species, and as “nature-education” islands nested in fast growing urban environments. As humans sprawl over the globe, natural environments for primates continue to dramatically shrink and the prospects of survival into the next century are bleak for many species.

         For this year’s roundtable we invited researchers and students with first-hand experience studying primates in wild and/or captive settings to address some controversial topics: (1) can the separate venues compliment each other, or are their agendas and goals too distinct? (2) Are their contributions to Primatology equally valuable in generating scientific knowledge? (3) Is it legitimate to compare the research results across settings? 

PANEL:

Dr. Kevin Hunt, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University

Dr. Dario Maestripieri, Department of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago

Matthew Nowak, Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University

Dr. Leila Porter, Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University

Dr. Ulrich Reichard, Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University

Dr. Rebecca Stumpf, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois

Dr. Michael Wilson, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota