INTERVIEW — DR. MIREYA MAYOR – Anthropologist, Primatologist. and wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic. She has a PhD in Anthropology, with a specialization in primates
>> Discussed the zoo backlash over killing the gorilla
HER BIO:
Often described in the media as “a female Indiana Jones,” Mayor is not your typical scientist.
Once a city girl and Miami Dolphins NFL cheerleader who had never been camping, Mayor has since found herself sleeping in a rain forest hammock amid poisonous snakes; been charged by gorillas, chased by elephants, pawed by leopards; scaling rocky cliffs; and diving with great white sharks after a college anthropology class inspired her to study the natural world.
Mayor now dedicates her life to studying rare primates in the wild throughout the world and working closely with local populations. She obtained her Ph.D. in anthropology from Stony Brook University in New York, and is a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar.
Mayor’s true passion is to report to audiences worldwide on pertinent wildlife and habitat issues.
She is a two-time Emmy Award-nominated field correspondent for National Geographic’s Explorer and starred in the world premiere special Mystery Gorillas and the her own series Wild Nights with Mireya Mayor for the Nat Geo WILD network. She also starred in Mark Burnett’s series Expedition Africa, where she was sole wildlife expert on a thousand mile trek journey through Africa.
She is one of a handful of scientists to perform critical study on the highly endangered lemur, and while exploring the backcountry of Madagascar she discovered a new species of lemur. Her work with this rare primate inspired the prime minister of Madagascar to establish a national park to help protect the new species.
But her love and knowledge of animals, is not limited to primates. Mireya has reported on and studied an vast array of wildlife, including great white sharks, snakes, bears, giant squid, giraffes, leopards, elephants, pandas, hippos and more.
