Episode: Sisters of the Jungle with Keriann McGoogan
Host: Bill Ault
Guest: Keriann McGoogan, primatologist and author
Book: Sisters of the Jungle: The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Runtime: ~30 minutes
🌿 Episode Summary
In this special episode of Northern Latitudes, host Bill Ault sits down with Keriann McGoogan, primatologist and author of Sisters of the Jungle, to explore the untold stories of the women who redefined how we understand the natural world.
The conversation begins with a tribute to Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 91. Goodall’s groundbreaking work at Gombe Stream National Park changed not only primatology but the very definition of what it means to be human — and her legacy threads through every page of McGoogan’s book.
Drawing on her own fieldwork in Belize and Madagascar, McGoogan reflects on how Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birutė Galdikas, Alison Jolly, Linda Fedigan, Jeanne Altmann, and Sarah Hrdy carved new paths through scientific and cultural barriers. Together, these “sisters of the jungle” reshaped science with empathy, endurance, and a refusal to stay silent.
From mentorship and mythmaking to conservation and advocacy, this episode examines how women in primatology transformed not just a field — but our collective understanding of connection, compassion, and courage in the wild.
🔗 Related Links
- 📘 Sisters of the Jungle – Douglas & McIntyre
- 🌍 Keriann McGoogan Official Website
- 🕊️ Jane Goodall Institute
- 🎙️ Listen to past Northern Latitudes episodes
📍 About the Guest
Keriann McGoogan is a primatologist, science communicator, and writer whose fieldwork has taken her from the rainforests of Belize to the forests of Madagascar. Her research explores primate social behavior and the role of women in shaping modern science. Sisters of the Jungle is her debut book.
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📢 About Northern Latitudes
Hosted by Bill Ault, Northern Latitudes brings you stories from science, the environment ,conservation, and culture — where his curiosity takes him basically.
