Upper Arlington Public Library

Voices from the Ape House

with Beth Armstrong

Beth Armstrong, author, keeper, and conservationist, will discuss her experience working with lowland gorillas, and will have copies of her book, Voices from the Ape House, available for purchase.

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 zoo keeper. The memoir traces Beth Armstrong’s love and fascination for these animals, from her childhood to her work with captive primates. 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 not only her commitment to improving gorilla husbandry but also involving her zoo in taking an active role to protect gorillas in the wild.

Beth Armstrong has spent much of her life caring for and observing gorillas—first as a keeper and then as head keeper at the Columbus Zoo from 1982 to 1996. She became a passionate proponent and voice for gorillas in the wild—and many other species—as the first Field Conservation Coordinator at the Columbus and Brevard Zoos, respectively. She continues to promote the role of zoos in supporting fieldwork that actively protects great ape species in the wild.

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