Biography

Her name is pronounced bi-ROO-tay GAHL-di-kuhs.

Canadian primatologist of Lithuanian heritage who launched a study, the Orangutan Research and Conservation Project, in Borneo's Tanjung Puting National Park in 1971. She was the first scientist to observe orangutans eating meat, to watch a wild female give birth in a tree, and to learn that male orangutans occasionally rape females. The difficulties of her studies of orangutans were multiplied by the fact that they are solitary creatures. "Compiling data on the animals was considerably tougher for Birute than for me," Jane Goodall once said. "Chimps are very sociable. It might take her a year to see what I can observe in one lucky day."

With Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, she is known as one of "Leakey's Angels," a reference to the legendary paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, who supported their work.

Galdikas has received many honors, including the Sierra Club's Chico Mendes Award (1992-1993), the Chevron Conservation Award (1993), and the United Nations Global 500 Environmental Achievement Award (1993).

Along with Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, she is known as a "Trimate", one of the 3 most prominent researchers on primates. "Fossey" on gorillas, "Goodall" on chimpanzees and "Galdikas" on orangutans.