Alumna Shares Photos of Chimps

Chimpanzees are a lot like humans, sharing 98 percent of the same DNA and many personality traits. That fact was in evidence in a special multimedia presentation on campus in February by wife-and-husband photography and video team Kristin Mosher ’89 and Bill Wallauer.

For 15 years, Bill followed the wild chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, capturing the intimate details of their daily lives for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which is led by renowned primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.

Psychology major Nikki Packard ’11, left, talks with the wife-and-husband team of Kristin Mosher ’89, center, a much-published wildlife photographer, and Bill Wallauer, videographer for the Jane Goodall Institute, Feb. 10 during a visit to Distinguished Service Professor Paul Voninski’s Anthropology 280 class in Mahar Hall.

He has videotaped chimpanzee births, dominance displays, infanticide attempts, encounters with snakes and “rain dances.” Much of his footage is unprecedented — including capturing a live birth on tape.

Kristin is a professional wildlife photographer and sound recordist. She previously worked as a Jane Goodall Institute staff member, and continues to partner with Bill on production work for JGI. The alumna’s photographic work has appeared in many publications, including National Geographic, BBC Wildlife Magazine and numerous books.

Currently, the couple is working on a three-year project with Disneynature documenting the behavior of chimpanzees for an upcoming major motion picture.

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