Shirley Carol Strum

1947 -

Shirley C. Strum, a biological anthropologist, has always been intrigued by the primitive life. Strum received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Shirley Strum now divides her time between her research in Kenya, and the University of California, San Diego. She is only a resident of California during the spring quarter, and then returns to her home in Nairobi to continue her studies. Strum is not only a teacher of anthropology at UCSD, but is also the Director of the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project, formerly known as the Gilgil Baboon Project.

Strum has studied one population of baboons in Kenya for over 25 years. When Strum first traveled to Kenya in 1972, she hoped to study the dynamics of baboon societies, as well as gain insights into human origins. Seven years after arriving, the ranch on which the baboons lived was sold. Strum recalls that almost overnight, farmers moved in to begin farming. The baboons then began competing with the farmers for the crops. She then realized that she must step in to save the animals that she studied. However, she managed to turn her struggle into something good for conservation. She learned practical field techniques and conversation lessons that would not only save her study group, but primates all over the world.

Since 1979, Shirley C. Strum has focused on aggression and male dominance, social strategies of competition and defense, sex roles, social organization, cognition in the wild, and socioecology. Strum has also been involved with community-based conservation, studying the development of crop raiding by baboons and techniques for controlling pest primates.

Shirley C. Strum is perhaps best known for her work with the "Pumphouse Gang," a name given to her study group of baboons. However, Strum has been featured in various television documentaries for Discovery, National Geographic, and the Canadian Broadcast Company.

Strum has also written many publications including the following:
Changing Images of Primate Societies

Human Social Origins

Antagonistic Dominance in Male Baboons

Reconciling Aggression & Social Manipulation

Articles have been written about Strum in the following magazines

The National Geographic Magazine

Natural History

Wildlife.

Aside from her numerous documentaries and professional publications, Strum has also written some books. The first being, Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons, which was published by Norton in 1990. The demand for this book was so great that Norton now has published this book into seven different languages. Another book that Strum has contributed to is Natural Connections: Perspectives in Community-based Conservation, which was published in 1994 by Island Press. In this book, one can find the work and writings of Strum, along with D. Western, and R. Wright.

References:

"From the Apes, a Message of Hope," Sanoff, Alvin, US World & News Report, January 25, 1998, Volume 104, Page 65(1).

UCSD Anthropology Homepage, http://www.anthro.ucsd.edu/

"Moving The Pumphouse Gang" International Wildlife, May/June 1998, http://www.nwf.org/internationalwildlife/1998/baboon.html