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| Loris and Galago Research Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Loris and Galago Research Network |
| Formation | 2009 |
| Type | Research consortium |
| Headquarters | Nairobi |
| Region served | Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia |
Loris and Galago Research Network
The Loris and Galago Research Network is a consortium of primatologists, zoologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and institutions focused on strepsirrhine research. Established to coordinate field studies, captive care, and translational research, it connects experts affiliated with institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and regional partners including University of Nairobi, Makerere University, and University of Peradeniya. The Network emphasizes comparative studies linking research sites like Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Masoala National Park, and urban centers such as Colombo and Nairobi.
The Network brings together scientists from organizations including Zoological Society of London, Smithsonian Institution, Max Planck Society, Conservation International, and Fauna & Flora International to study lorisoids across ranges that include India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Kenya, and Uganda. Collaborative aims align with international frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the IUCN Red List, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Membership comprises academics from University of California, Davis, Princeton University, University of Oxford's Department of Zoology, veterinarians from Royal Veterinary College, and curators from institutions like London Zoo and San Diego Zoo.
Work spans families and genera including representatives of Lorisidae and Galagidae, with focal species such as the Bengal slow loris, Javan slow loris, Pygmy slow loris, Sri Lankan slender loris, Gray slender loris, Senegal bushbaby, Galago senegalensis, Galagoides thomasi, Otolemur crassicaudatus, Otolemur garnettii, and Malagasy taxa like Cheirogaleus medius and Microcebus murinus. Taxonomic studies reference systematics from researchers associated with American Museum of Natural History, Royal Society, and Natural History Museum, London. Genetic sampling protocols draw on standards established at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and comparative frameworks used by Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Primary objectives include ecology, behavior, phylogenetics, disease ecology, and captive welfare. Field methods integrate nocturnal survey techniques developed at Kilimanjaro National Park-adjacent studies, acoustic monitoring used in projects from University of Cape Town, and camera-trap protocols refined through work at Kruger National Park. Molecular methods use sequencing platforms from Broad Institute and analytical pipelines influenced by groups at European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Epidemiological collaborations link to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and laboratory partners at Emory University. Behavioral analyses employ telemetry and GPS technologies pioneered in studies by Duke University and ethograms standardized by researchers at California Academy of Sciences.
Conservation initiatives coordinate with protected-area administrations such as Ankarafantsika National Park, Periyar National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and with NGOs including Rainforest Trust and Wildlife Conservation Society. Rehabilitation and rescue protocols align with veterinary guidance from Royal Veterinary College and animal welfare standards advocated by RSPCA and World Animal Protection. Reintroduction pilot programs reference guidance from IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and lessons from captive-breeding programs at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Chester Zoo. Law-enforcement liaison leverages tools from INTERPOL and regional wildlife crime units cooperating with TRAFFIC.
Funding and institutional collaboration include grants from National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and bilateral aid through United States Agency for International Development. Research partnerships involve universities such as Yale University, University of Toronto, University of Zurich, and regional research centers like Kenya Wildlife Service and Zoological Survey of India. Partnerships with museums and zoos include American Museum of Natural History, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Berlin Zoological Garden, and Toronto Zoo. Multi-agency projects have received support from MacArthur Foundation, Gates Foundation, and national research councils like National Research Foundation (South Africa).
The Network has contributed to peer-reviewed studies published in journals such as Nature Communications, Science Advances, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Journal of Mammalogy, and American Journal of Primatology. Major findings include refined phylogenies clarifying speciation events in Madagascar, disease reservoirs linked to zoonotic risk assessed alongside WHO frameworks, and behavioral discoveries on locomotion and vocal communication paralleling work at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Conservation outcomes include evidence used in IUCN assessments and policy briefs submitted to ministries in Sri Lanka and India.
Outreach programs partner with institutions like Natural History Museum, London, Science Museum, London, Smithsonian Institution National Zoo, and local education ministries in Kenya and Sri Lanka to produce curricula, exhibitions, and citizen-science platforms. Public-facing media collaborations have included features with BBC Natural History Unit, National Geographic Society, and The New York Times science desk. Training workshops for veterinarians and rangers have been co-delivered with ZSL Conservation Programmes, IUCN, and university extension programs at University of Peradeniya and Makerere University to translate research into policy and practice.
Category:Primate research networks