Those rehabilitation efforts are at the centre of the controversies now swirling around Galdikas and the organisation she helped found, Orang-utan Foundation International. An ongoing debate about the effectiveness of rehabilitation reached fever pitch in the late 1990s with the publication of several articles and books about Galdikas by Canadian novelist Linda Spalding. In A Dark Place in the Jungle Spalding suggests that Galdikas's efforts in the name of conservation may in fact harm wild orang-utan populations. Galdikas herself is characterised as an imperious and careless scientist, which no doubt played a role in Galdikas's decision in July 1999 to sue Spalding for libel.

What then is one to make of this book by Galdikas a...
Excellent, 2000-10-02
When I got this book I was worried that it would just be blocks of unreadable imformation. However, it happily proved me wrong; it was an educational, interesting and, in places, humourous book. The author wrote about the ancient myths surrounding orangutans, their social habits, how they rear their young, their diet, the threats surrounding their survival, and how to tackle them. My entire family loved this book ; they wouldn't have got it themselves they say, but are glad that I did. I found it fascinating. This book is an excellent read, especially if you are interested in Nature. 5*. Definately.

McGrew's long career of primate research in the field granted him wide experience and many insights. The insights derived in some cases from surprises. His own observations in Gombe, Tanzania, were jarred by a visit to Mahale. No chimps in Gombe ever engaged in mutual grooming the way they did at Mahale. The Japanese team at Mahale assumed all chimpanzees did the "grooming hand-clasp", but McGrew explained it was otherwise. The event marked a major step in understanding that the usual human idea of The Chimpazee as a universal is false. Chimps have practices that vary in different places. In western Africa they will shatter hard food nuts with stone or branch hammers. Eastern chimpanzees "fish" for ants and termites with twigs, but don't pound readily available nuts. Some chimps apparently fear immersion in water, while others will plunge in up to their chests. Yet, what we know of these variations in behaviour and why it exists remains only initial awareness. McGrew calls for further research using clear parameters.

Recognising that "the way we do things" is but a way to expand our outlook to include other primates, McGrew offers a set of terms for clarification. Noting that culture studies must weave in several disciplines from anthropology to zoology, he indicates which contributions each can provide. More importantly, he suggests that cross-disciplinary research will not only help clarify what culture means, the effort would certainly further the insights in the various fields. An indication of this is found in the book's structure, which deals less about "the way chimpanzees do things" and asks more about where new data should be sought. "Speech", for example, which most humans declare sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, has almost been ignored as a research topic in primatology.

McGrew avoids a strict definition of "culture". Instead, he skirts that issue, urging that "operational" values be used - is the suggested definition subject to investigation and/or testing and be reliably verifiable? Content is more important than labels, since labels produce constraints. Having been in many an academic skirmish, McGrew has no hesitation about accepting preliminary results in the new field he proposes. There's much to be done and while debate over terminology rages, chimpanzees are being habituated to humans, which changes their behaviour and may lead to their extinction. Part of that debate, he contends, takes up too much time and effort in how far "culture" can be extended. When guppy females show preference for victorious fighting males, is it necessary to argue over whether that signifies culture? Conversely, some have tried to limit "culture" to our high-tech society. Yet, that proposal fails when we examine the range of human societies. Such comparison with primate cultures is even less valid.

McGrew's plea for an expansion of the idea of culture is dramatically synthesised in his final chapter. "Standard" science cannot be practiced on chimpanzees. As he's already demonstrated, there are geographical distinctions in some chimp social behaviour. Relocating large groups of chimpanzees to determine if these differences are environmental, imparted or genetic is both impractical and unethical. Future studies, he urges, should be experimental and opportunistic in method. Strict controls are impossible, but the cross-disciplinary approach should make up for that condition. The first teams might well be palaeoanthropologists and cultural primatologists. Fossil hunters could teach field researchers in primatology much. Of course, McGrew's colleagues must be willing to learn. Which is one reason why he wrote this book. The other reason is that human beings must shed their conceit that only our species can possess culture. Discarding that prejudice will aid in awakening our impact on the rest of Nature, as well. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]