I am passionate about captive animal welfare which has been an ever increasing area of research over the past couple of decades.

My particular area of interest is the callitrichid family, small South American primates that include the tamarins, lion tamarins, marmosets and callimico. With over 62 species and sub species listed they are fascinating animals, many of whom are of conservation concern. Consequently many species are managed under breeding programmes to help maintain a healthy and diverse ex situ population.  

Callitrichids exploit a variety of ecological niches with physiological differences such as hand shape and hind limbs that determine foraging and locomotion techniques. I am interested in gathering evidence to understand if there are differences in how callitrichids respond to their captive environments, and to examine if they provide for species specific differences.

I have primarily been interested in callimico (Callimico goeldii), also known as Goeldi's monkey and have looked at the current housing and husbandry regimes for this species as well as doing a multi institution study to examine behaviours and vertical space use. I am hoping to build from the research to look at other callitrichid species and to compare responses to their captive environment, including behavioural, physiological indicators, such as faecal cortisol, and vocalisation. I am also interested to see if different species are affected by similar health concerns and trends.

By generating knowledge of how they react to elements of captivity I am hoping to complement our current knowledge to support the welfare and to preserve the behavioural fitness of these charismatic species.