BLOG | carolynthompson

The gibbon warrior

Ever wondered what it's like to hear an ape sing? Follow a dancing lemur? Or live in a remote forest? Or what a field researcher does when they're not globetrotting?

Wonder no further - wander with me instead.

Follow me on my adventures and find out for yourselves. I share my research journey, including all the unedited highs and lows.

savetheorangutans4

May 24, 20211 min read

I Fucking Love Science Meets: Me!

I was approached by IFLScience to do an interview-style blog on my career journey into primatology. First charmed to the order of...

Life in China studying the forgotten apes

savetheorangutans4

Jun 22, 20201 min read

Life in China studying the forgotten apes

I was invited to speak at International Primate Protection League's biennial conference. Alas, due to Covid-19, it had to be cancelled....

savetheorangutans4

Dec 9, 20191 min read

Home to the forgotten apes

I wrote a blog for Terra Incognita about the challenges and rewards of studying gibbons and working with local communities in China. Take...

savetheorangutans4

Oct 23, 20191 min read

10 amazing facts about Hainan gibbons

With less than 30 individuals remaining, the Hainan gibbon, Nomascus hainanus, is the world’s rarest primate and one of the most...

savetheorangutans4

Aug 19, 20195 min read

The terrorist with the elephant foot

"You've been reported as a terrorist!" Exclaimed a local reserve manager with a sense of urgency. "What! By whom?" I laughed uneasily...

"When gibbons sing, i know it will rain"

savetheorangutans4

May 13, 20191 min read

"When gibbons sing, i know it will rain"

Life living amongst secluded rural communities in China, and interviewing them about the importance of gibbons in their culture and...

savetheorangutans4

Mar 20, 20194 min read

Never trust an egg

Most people are aware that the Chinese are very adventurous when it comes to food. When immersing yourself into local life, it is...

savetheorangutans4

Jan 11, 20194 min read

The monkey with the "bleeding heart"

As somewhat of a surprise, my beau whisked me away to Ethiopia in November last year with two dear friends in tow. “Why Ethiopia?” I hear...

savetheorangutans4

Nov 8, 20181 min read

Do you have an inner swamp ogre?

I wrote a blog for Terra Incognita about life in the peat swamp forests of Indonesian Borneo. You can read my short-listed blog entry...

savetheorangutans4

Nov 6, 20184 min read

Cozy the Forest Gardener

For those of you who know me well, you know I love to write. I write the odd blog. I write silly, sentimental poems for friends and...

savetheorangutans4

Nov 4, 20182 min read

Have you ever tried gibbon yoga?

Each year, the 24th October marks International Gibbon Day (IGD); a great opportunity to raise some much needed awareness for the small,...

Whoops, pant hoots, trills and wahoos all under one roof!

savetheorangutans4

Sep 7, 20184 min read

Whoops, pant hoots, trills and wahoos all under one roof!

I am currently at an engineering conference. No, I haven't lost the plot - I am presenting some of the education work I do on...

savetheorangutans4

Aug 29, 20183 min read

SIFAKA SQUAD

Well, it’s been a non-stop adventure since I stepped off that plane from China! As you may recall I recently accepted a spontaneous...

savetheorangutans4

Jul 9, 20181 min read

The imperial gentlemen of China

In 2004, one of my supervisors from the Zoological Society of London, stumbled across a gibbon skull inside a tomb in Xi’an, Shaanxi...

savetheorangutans4

Jul 2, 20183 min read

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT

Once again I am on the move! This trip was not planned, however. I am off to the island of Madagascar; the land of baobab trees, vanilla...

savetheorangutans4

Jun 17, 20187 min read

My Journey to the East

I am back from China! I had intended to update you on every leg of my journey, but this initial pilot trip had zero downtime. I got back...