Primate People: Saving Nonhuman Primates through Education, Advocacy, and Sanctuary

by Lisa Kemmerer (Editor), Marc Bekoff (Foreword)

In the last 30 years the bushmeat trade has led to the slaughter of nearly 90 percent of West Africa’s bonobos, perhaps our closest relatives, and has recently driven Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey to extinction. Earth was once rich with primates, but every species—except one—is now extinct or endangered because of one primate—Homo sapiens. How have our economic and cultural practices pushed our cousins toward destruction? Would we care more about their fate if we knew something of their individual lives and sufferings? Would we help them if we understood how our choices threaten their existence? This anthology helps to answer these questions.The first section of Primate People introduces forces that threaten nonhuman primates, such as the entertainment and “pet” industries, the bushmeat trade, habitat destruction, and logging. The second section exposes the exploitation of primates in research facilities, including the painful memories of an undercover agent, and suggests models of more enlightened scientific methods. The final section tells the stories of those who lobby for change, educate communities, and tenderly care for our displaced cousins in sanctuaries.Sometimes shocking and disturbing, sometimes poignant and encouraging, Primate People always draws the reader into the lives of nonhuman primates. Activists around the world reveal the antics and pleasures of monkeys, the tendencies and idiosyncrasies of chimpanzees, and the sufferings and fears of macaques. Charming, difficult, sensitive—these testimonies demonstrate that nonhuman primates and human beings are, indeed, closely related. Woven into the anthology’s lucid narratives are the stories of how we harm and create the conditions that endanger primates, and what we can and must do to prevent their ongoing suffering and fast-approaching extinction.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2012

About the author

Internationally acclaimed for her work in animal ethics, professor emeritus Dr. Lisa Kemmerer is the founder of the educational, vegan umbrella organization, Tapestry. Having earned a BA in International Studies from Reed College, a Master of Theological Studies in Comparative Religions from Harvard, and a PhD in philosophy--specializing in animal ethics--from Glasgow University in Scotland, Kemmerer taught for 20 years at the university level.

As professor of philosophy and religions, Dr. K wrote and edited more than 100 articles/anthology chapters and 10 books.

Books
• Animals and World Religions
• Eating Earth: Environmental Ethics and Dietary Choice
• In Search of Consistency: Ethics and Animals
• Animals and Environment: Advocacy Activism, and the Quest for Common Ground
• Sister Species: Women, Animals, and Social Justice
• Speaking Up for Animals: An Anthology of Women’s Voices
• Call to Compassion: Religious Perspectives on Animal Advocacy
• Primate People: Saving Nonhuman Primates through Education, Advocacy, and Sanctuary
• Bear Necessities: Rescue, Rehabilitation, Sanctuary, and Advocacy


She retired to develop her educational non-profit, Tapestry, which will continue her work on behalf of nonhuman animals, the environment, and disempowered human beings.

For more information, please visit lisakemmerer.com

Reviews

[Kari Bagnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, not only because it’s about Primates, and not only because I’m in the book, but because it is an amazing book about a lot of amazing Primate people!