Andrew R. Halloran, PhD is a primatologist who studies chimpanzee behavior and chimpanzee ecology. He is the co-founder of the Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project in Sierra Leone, a conservation initiative that seeks to mitigate conflicts between humans and chimpanzees in anthropogenic landscapes. Dr. Halloran is the Director of Chimpanzee Behavior & Care at Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida -- a sanctuary that provides a home to chimpanzees previously used in biomedical research, entertainment, and the pet trade. He is the author of Song of the Ape.
In this poignant, thought-provoking collection of stories, which Halloran calls fables, he weaves together sequential tales that reflect the impacts of two species-human and chimpanzee-on each other and on the small section of farmland and jungle that they occupy... Halloran is more than a storyteller. He composes with a philosophical and poetic grace... A lovingly rendered, highly illuminating, and melancholy portrayal of an indelible group of chimpanzees. --Kirkus Reviews Halloran successfully fulfilled his promise of leading us into a full-blown and genuine description of chimpanzees. He did this by narrating stories coined around characters that include a lone chimpanzee, two communities of chimpanzees-Matamba and Mabureh, and villagers, including farmers and hunters... My favourite part of this book is the manner the author depicted the behaviors of these chimpanzees. It was so real that I connected to them in the manner I did to some of the human characters. --OnlineBookClub