On this episode of Meraki Radio, Gideon Thaler joins us an hour long show. This is the first part of 2. Please enjoy their discussion about work with animals and the conservation world.
Gideon Thaler (They/Them) Is a Queens, NY based actor who spent over seven years studying and working in wildlife conservation, focusing primarily on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of orphaned primates back into their natural habitats. Within this focus they were especially interested in behavior, captive welfare and the impacts of the exotic pet trade on conservation efforts and wild animal populations. They have a BA in Environmental Bio from Columbia University and an MSc in Primate Conservation from Oxford Brookes University where they wrote a thesis comparing the play behaviors observed in captive populations of baby orangutans and those observed in the wild. One of their favorite questions was how the captive environment plays a role in shaping behavior and the implications for release. In 2016 they worked in Nigeria releasing over 100 monkeys, from 3 species, back in the rainforest. In 2017, they came home, got a PTSD diagnosis and switched gears. For now?
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