Voices from the Ape House

Voices from the Ape HouseExploring the history humans share with gorillas, Voices from the Ape House offers a behind the scenes look at the complicated social lives of western lowland gorillas through the eyes of a devoted zookeeper. The memoir traces Beth Armstrong's love and fascination for animals, from her childhood to her work with captive primates as an adult. Through her eyes, readers sense the awe and privilege of working with these animals at the Columbus Zoo.

Exploring the history humans share with gorillas, Voices from the Ape House offers a behind-the-scenes look at the complicated social lives of western lowland gorillas through the eyes of a devoted zookeeper. The memoir traces Beth Armstrong's love and fascination for animals, from her childhood to her work with captive primates as an adult. Through her eyes, readers sense the awe and privilege of working with these animals at the Columbus Zoo. Individual gorillas there had an enormous effect on her life, shaping and influencing her commitment to improving gorilla husbandry and to involving her zoo in taking an active role to protect gorillas in the wild.

Through anecdotal stories, readers get a glimpse into the fascinating lives of gorillas-the familiar gentleness of mothers and fathers toward their infants, power plays and social climbing, the unruly nature of teenagers, the capacity for humor, and the shared sadness by group members as they mourn the death of one of their own. In the end, Armstrong's conflict with captivity and her lifelong fondness for these animals helped shape a zoo program dedicated to gorilla conservation.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Published: 03/10/2020
ISBN: 9780814255711
Pages: 312
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.00d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 12/23/2019
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2020