Hi! I am Alexandria Tobias a third year student in Psychology. I have a great love for animals since I have been having pets since young. Just last year in December I had adopted a wolf in Yellowstone, Wyoming for my sister and in doing so became a member of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) which is a non profit environmental action group based in New York. I did this because I thought my dog’s cousins should have a chance to live and not be hunted, just like she does.

I always knew that there were animals that were endangered and there were many in need of protection. It was only till recently when I found out that there were more than I have even thought or imagined there to be. Our Zoo itself, is filled with about 25% worth of endangered animals. This is among only 300 or so species, which makes it about 75 species. Receiving emails on different animals needing protection, and hearing about such animals from my friends made me wonder what we were doing in order to protect them.

Therefore, I picked Dr Galdikas, because she is not as well known as Jane Goodall, and also because the orangutans are something which are highly related with South East Asia.
I also wanted to emphasize the impact of her work on the region and how she is a good role model for conservation and protection of not only the orangutans but all species she comes across.