Patricia Wright (primatologist) facts for kids

Patricia Chapple Wright (born September 10, 1944) is an American scientist. She is a primatologist, which means she studies primates like monkeys and lemurs. She is also an anthropologist, studying human culture and society, and a conservationist, working to protect nature.

Dr. Wright is famous for her long studies of wild lemurs in Madagascar. She learned a lot about how lemur families live and interact. She also started the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments at Stony Brook University. Dr. Wright has led many trips to places like Borneo, Indonesia, and Madagascar. She helped create the Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. In 2014, she was the first woman to win the Indianapolis Zoo Prize. She has also received three special awards from the government of Madagascar for her important work.

Early Life and Nature Love

Patricia Wright grew up in Western New York, near Lake Ontario. She was the oldest of six children. Living in a big family in the countryside, she learned to love wildlife and nature early on. Her father, who went to the University of Toronto, often took her into the woods. This helped her become very interested in animals and forest ecosystems.

Becoming a Scientist

Patricia Wright earned a degree in biology from Hood College in 1966. After college, she worked as a social worker because there were not many science jobs. Her journey to studying primates began when she got a South American monkey as a pet. She became very curious about its behavior. This led her to start her own informal research.

Later, this informal study turned into formal scientific work. At that time, not much was known about South American monkeys, especially the ones active at night, called Aotus. Dr. Wright became very interested in them. She did her first fieldwork in South America, studying the night monkey. With encouragement from Dr. Warren Kinzey, she published her first scientific paper in 1978. She then went on to get her Ph.D. in Anthropology from City University of New York in 1985. She studied night monkey behavior in the Peruvian rainforest while also raising her daughter. Today, Dr. Wright is a professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University in New York.

Discovering Lemurs in Madagascar

In 1986, Dr. Wright traveled to Madagascar. She was looking for the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus). People thought this lemur species was extinct. But she found that the greater bamboo lemur was still alive! She also discovered a brand new species, which was named Hapalemur aureus, or the golden bamboo lemur.

After she found the golden bamboo lemurs, people started cutting down trees in their home. Dr. Wright was very worried about the lemurs. She played a big part in creating the Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. This park opened in 1991. The park helps protect the lemurs and their forest from dangers like cutting down trees and illegal logging.

Dr. Wright worked hard to save the amazing variety of life there. She did this through science and by working with local communities. People living near Ranomafana National Park now have jobs in education, planting new trees, and ecotourism. This is all thanks to Dr. Wright and her team. Her way of protecting nature combines scientific study, education, healthcare, and farming that doesn't harm the environment. She has also helped local people learn how to grow and sell crops like vanilla and cinnamon.

Important Scientific Discoveries

Dr. Wright's research has given us important information about how primates behave, how their groups are organized, and their genetics. She has studied how lemurs avoid predators, their gut health, how their populations change, and their unique genes. Her team has found special genetic traits in lemurs. For example, bamboo lemurs have adapted to eat bamboo that contains cyanide, a poison. She has also kept a 30-year record of climate, plant life, and disease spread in rainforests. This helps us understand ecosystems better.

Centre ValBio: A Place for Research

Patricia Wright started the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments at Stony Brook University. This institute focuses on protecting nature through science and research in tropical places, especially Madagascar. It helps many scientists work together in Madagascar, especially around Ranomafana National Park. The institute runs a modern research station in Madagascar called Centre ValBio.

Personal Life and Inspiration

Dr. Wright is a mother and a strong supporter of women in science. She managed to do important research while raising her daughter. Her daughter now works in climate science. Dr. Wright's journey, from social work to studying primates and leading conservation efforts, shows her deep dedication to science and the natural world.

Awards and Recognition

Awards

• 2022 – Conservation Warrior Award Winner from Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, NY
• 2014 – First Woman Winner of Indianapolis Prize for Conservation
• 2014 – Lifetime Achievement Award from Wildlife Conservation Film Festival
• 2012 – Awarded Commandeur Medal of Honor, Government of Madagascar
• 2008 – Distinguished Primatologist Award from American Society of Primatologists
• 2003 – "Medaille Officier de Madagascar". High honor awarded by the President of Madagascar
• 1995 – "Chevalier d'Ordre National." National Medal of Honor of Madagascar, from the President of Madagascar
• 1990 – Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Hood College
• 1989 – John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow

Recognitions

• 2013 – Elected to American Philosophical Society
• 2011 – Finalist for the Indianapolis Prize for Conservation
• 2007 – Ranomafana National Park named UNESCO World Heritage Site
• 2004 – Elected AAAS Fellow
• 2003 – Member of National Geographic Conservation Trust
• 1993 – Women Who Make a Difference Award, Family Circle Magazine

Media Appearances

TV and Films

• 2016 – Featured on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN
• 2014 – Featured in IMAX film Island of Lemurs: Madagascar with Morgan Freeman
• 2009 – Featured on Dan Rather Reports, HDNet TV
• 2002 – Featured in David Attenborough's The Life of Mammals documentary film.
• 2000 – Me & Isaac Newton, directed by Michael Apted.

Books

• 2014 – For the Love of Lemurs: My Life in the Wilds of Madagascar
• 2013 – High Moon Over the Amazon: My Quest to Understand the Monkeys of the Night

Animals Named in Her Honor

• The rainbowfish Rheocles wrightae, a type of fish found in Madagascar.
• A new lemur species from Kalambatritra, Madagascar named Lepilemur wrighaeti, also known as Wright's sportive lemur.