Reflection

By: Shawnee Hullinger

Before this class I cared about primate conservation but didnt know a lot about it. I was
aware of primates being used for bush meat or hunted for parts and deforestation but not much
else. I had no idea the amount of diversity there is with the number of species. Although I was
aware baby apes were taken into the pet trade I didnt know the scale of it such as with the Loris
what is done to them. I never used to think about how people, often celebrities, have wild
animals their interacting with or taking pictures with making it a trend. Then how that in turn
affects the animals as I keep thinking about that Loris being tickled and they think it is
enjoying it when in reality it is terrified.
Influential assignments we did were the midterm where I had to research and write a
paper on eight primate species. Which although a long process was really eye opening seeing
how all these creatures live. Another assignment I really enjoyed was the one on great ape
personhood where we watched a documentary and it was incredible. It showed how like humans
the great apes are in their ability to think, feel and problem-solve.
In the future I will approach primate conservation with a more open mind and remember
how my actions affect the big picture. An aha moment I had was learning about lemurs. Many
dont look like what I picture a monkey to be and I wouldnt have though many of the animals
we learned about were primates at all, such as the Aye-Aye or Tarsier, if I had not been told. Also
I came to realize that when primates are hunted it is not always for status or sport etc. but
sometimes it is just people trying to survive who have few alternatives for food. One last aha
moment I had was of protected lands where animals are supposed to be safe. I always thought

that it was rare that they would be poached in these places but discovered although some have
systems in place to protect the wildlife others do not. Same with laws as some are sometimes no
more than signed documents with little meaning as they are not enforced. These realizations
helped me come to the understanding that overall I really know very little and will always have
more to learn.