Voices from the Ape House

Beth Armstrong’s memoir about her years at the Columbus Zoo as a gorilla keeper is about more than her interesting career path. It also documents a revolutionary time in zoological history when attitudes were changing about captive animal care, especially in gorilla husbandry. She began her career at a time when gorilla caretakers had not yet learned the importance of creating natural habitats and providing enrichment for their animals. Beth spent much of her professional life caring for and observing gorillas—first as a keeper and then as head keeper at the Columbus Zoo, 1982–1996. During that time, 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 Zoo and then the Brevard Zoo. She continues to promote the role of zoos in supporting fieldwork that actively protects great ape species in the wild – through her work with the ZACC (Zoos & Aquariums: Committing to Conservation) conference. You can learn more about Beth at her website www.betharmstrongauthor.com Register to receive a Zoom link for the program about an hour before it begins. GranvilleLibrary.org/calendar/month