Michael Stern (born 1978) is an American zookeeper, conservationist, anthropologist and primatologist who serves as the Curator of Primates and Small Mammals at Philadelphia Zoo and is the co-founder of the New Nature Foundation. He previously worked at the Denver Zoo and Honolulu Zoo.
Michael Stern | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (BS) |
| Occupation(s) | Anthropologist conservationist primatologist zookeeper zoologist |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Spouse | Rebecca Goldstone (2005–present) |
Early life
editStern was born in the Philadelphia area and attended Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, then known as Akiba Hebrew Academy, graduating in 1996.[1][2] He went on to attend Harvard University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in biological anthropology.[3] At Harvard, he was mentored by noted primatologist and researcher, Richard Wrangham.[4]
Starting at age 12, Stern began volunteering at the Philadelphia Zoo nearly every Saturday.[3] At age 13, he became a presenter in the children's zoo.[3] He eventually reached a point where many of the animals knew who he was and was among the first people to meet the zoo's baby orangutan.[3]
Career
editPrior to founding the New Nature Foundation together, Stern and Goldstone did primate behavior research in Africa starting in 2000.[5][4] Their research discovered why red colobus monkeys are a favorite prey of chimpanzees.[4][6] He continues to visit Africa for 4 to 6 weeks every year and is a lecturer on his work.[5]
Stern and Rebecca Goldstone founded the New Nature Foundation in 2008. The foundation works with local citizens to protect wildlife habitat in Uganda and Vietnam.[3][5][7] Stern and Goldstone's foundation has worked to plant trees, produce fuel using agriculture waste and build five community science centers around Kibale National Park.[5] Harvard awarded Stern with the Sheldon Traveling Fellowship to partner with local primary schools to bring Ugandan students on field trips to the park.[7][5] Stern also served as a consultant on efficient stoves to save the tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Vietnam.[5][8]
From 2011 to 2016, Stern served as the Primate Area Supervisor and Assistant Curator of Primates at the Denver Zoo. There he was tasked with working with the Species Survival Plan to help breed western lowland gorillas.[9][10][11] There he also created an arboreal feeder for orangutans that was shared with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.[12]
Stern spent time in 2016 and 2017 at the Honolulu Zoo as the zoo's General Curator.[13]
In 2017, Stern returned to the Philadelphia Zoo in the role of Curator of Primates and Small Mammals.[3] In that position, he serves as a member of the gibbons Species Survival Plan Management Board and leads the zoos international conservation efforts of the Rodrigues fruit bat.[14][15] He designed the $100,000 treehouse for the zoo's gorillas.[16] He has provided commentary on the zoo's animals to sources such as National Geographic, CBS This Morning and KYW News Radio.[17][18][19]
Personal life
editStern is Jewish and embraces his Jewish culture, history and Tikkun Olam in his work.[2] Stern was featured in a short film titled "The Zoo Changes You." The film was nominated for a Shorty Award.[20]
References
edit- ^ "We Love Our Alumni". Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b "Alumni Spotlight". Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Philadelphia Zoo Gala_100319 looped end". Philadelphia Zoo. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b c "Speaker Series 2016 Kickoff: Michael Stern '01 and Rebecca Goldstone". Harvard University. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tikun Olam Fuels Our Work". Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ Stern, M.; Goldstone, R. (2005). "Red colobus as prey: the leaping habits of five sympatric Old World monkeys". National Institute of Health. 76 (2): 100–112. doi:10.1159/000083616. PMID 15775681. S2CID 6859872. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b "Saving one of Africa's most stunning parks through biomass briquettes and fuel-efficient stoves". Mongabay. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Staff & Board". New Nature Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Denver goes gorilla for Tinga and gorilla conservation in Africa". Denver Post. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Identifying the genomic basis of cardiomyopathy in Gorilla gorilla gorilla". Gorilla Species Survival Plan. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Denver Zoo Announces Important Staff Changes". Blooloop. 7 August 2011. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "ARBOREAL FEEDERS FOR ORANGUTANS" (PDF). Orangutan Species Survival Plan. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Chimp that climbed out of exhibit had prior escape". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "GIBBON SSP MANAGEMENT GROUP". Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "GIBBON SSP MANAGEMENT GROUP". Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Wistar and the Philadelphia Zoo Work Together to Improve Global Health". The Wistar Institute. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Why This Gorilla Prefers to Walk Upright". National Geographic. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Gorilla with a human-like strut likes to keep his hands clean, zoo says". CBS News. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Party animals celebrates gorilla's 34th birthday at Philadelphia Zoo". KYW News Radio. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "THE ZOO CHANGES YOU". The Shorty Awards. Retrieved 2020-12-03.