One of the world’s leading experts on wild orangutans visited colleagues recently at Great Ape Trust of Iowa. Dr. Anne E. Russon, professor of psychology at Glendon College of York University in Toronto, Canada met with the scientists and staff of Great Ape Trust and discussed her work on orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction, cultural variation, social learning and conservation.

Dr. Russon has been studying intelligence and learning in ex-captive Bornean orangutans released to free forest life since 1989. Studies have been affiliated with orangutan projects in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Indonesian Borneo, and the Orangutan Reintroduction Projects in East and Central Indonesian Borneo. She has published numerous research and popular articles on orangutan intelligence, scholarly and popular books on great ape intelligence (Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes, with K. Bard & S. Parker; Orangutans: Wizards of the Rainforest) and, most recently, a scholarly book on the evolution of great ape intelligence (The Evolution Origins of Great Ape Intelligence, with D. Begun). She has also been involved in several documentaries on orangutans as scientific advisor and participant. She serves on advisory boards for several orangutan support organizations (Alchemy Films, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation–Indonesia, Borneo Orangutan Society-USA, Borneo Orangutan Society-Canada, Orangutan Network).

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Great Ape Trust of Iowa is located five miles southeast of downtown Des Moines on 230 acres of lowlands, riverine forest and lakes. When completed, Great Ape Trust will be the largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.

Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation of great apes and providing unique educational experiences about great apes. Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization and is certified by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). To learn more about Great Ape Trust of Iowa, go to www.GreatApeTrust.org.