About Dr. Shirley C. Strum
Dr. Shirley C. Strum: A Lifetime with Baboons
• 10 min read
A Legacy of Baboon Research and Conservation.
Dr. Shirley C. Strum, a biological anthropologist, has spent over five decades studying wild olive baboons in Kenya. Her work began in 1972 and led to the founding of the Gilgil Baboon Project in 1976, alongside Robert Harding. After the 1984 translocation of baboons to Laikipia, the project evolved into what is now known as the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project (UNBP).
Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project (UNBP).
In 1979, Dr. Shirley C. Strum founded the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project (UNBP) in Kenya, which continues to this day. Initially focused on the complexity of social and ecological interactions, the project evolved into long-term observation and research of baboon populations, emphasizing conservation and the study of human-wildlife conflict.
Pioneering Community-Based Conservation and Ecotourism.
Dr. Shirley C. Strum has been a leader in developing community-based conservation models in Africa. Her work has integrated education, employment, and local enterprise into conservation efforts. She also introduced ecotourism programs that highlight baboons and Maasai culture, such as guided baboon and plant walks.
Education, Outreach, and Public Engagement.
To improve public understanding of baboons, Dr. Shirley C. Strum has participated in over 25 nature documentaries and authored multiple articles and books. She supports educational programs in local nursery, primary, and secondary schools, working closely with communities to promote coexistence and reduce conflict.
Ongoing Research.
Dr. Shirley C. Strum continues to investigate human-wildlife conflict, with a focus on baboon depredation of livestock during droughts. Her book Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons shares insights from her extensive field research and highlights the intelligence, adaptability, and social complexity of baboons.
In her new book Echoes of Our Origins, she reflects on her fifty years of studying baboons in Kenya and how those years reshaped her understanding of baboons, humans and nature including how humans might coexist with wildlife. What began in 1972 as a study of whether baboons could be used as a model for the earliest humans led instead to surprising insights about the complexity of baboon society, including negotiation, collaboration, trust, and
adaptability. Strum shares how these discoveries challenged long-held scientific ideas and opened new ways of thinking about evolution, nature, and our place within it. Part memoir, part scientific account, the book is a powerful meditation on what it means to live alongside other species and how science can grow through experience, reflection, and openness to the unexpected.
She has authored several publications, including Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons, offering insights into her extensive fieldwork and findings.
You can order some of Dr. Shirley C. Strum's publications using the links below. To View More Books, Click here
