Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an airplane crash twelve years ago. Richard Leakey More Quotes by Richard Leakey More Quotes From Richard Leakey The problem of the apes is not a shortage of money, it is a shortage of strategy. Let us devote our minds... the one thing we have more of than other apes... and let's secure their future. Richard Leakey apes problem mind Climate change: We have never faced a more critical time on our planet Richard Leakey critical planets climate Ritual disposal of the dead speaks clearly of an awareness of death, and thus an awareness of self. Richard Leakey awareness speak self We are bipedal apes, and it should not be surprising to see that fact reflected in the way our ancestors lived. Richard Leakey apes facts way As every parent knows, children go through an adolescent growth spurt, during which they put on inches at an alarming rate. Humans are unique in this respect: most mammalian species, including apes, progress almost directly from infancy to adulthood. Richard Leakey parent unique children It seems inconceivable that a species of human could possess fully modern language and not be fully modern in all other ways, too. For this reason, the evolution of language is widely judged to be the culminating event in the emergence of humanity as we know it today. Richard Leakey events humanity today It has taken biologists some 230 years to identify and describe three quarters of a million insects; if there are indeed at least thirty million, as Erwin (Terry Erwin, the Smithsonian Institute) estimates, then, working as they have in the past, insect taxonomists have ten thousand years of employment ahead of them. Ghilean Prance, director of the Botanical Gardens in Kew, estimates that a complete list of plants in the Americas would occupy taxonomists for four centuries, again working at historical rates. Richard Leakey garden taken past The problem is that during the 1980s, a decade of heavy poaching, the elephants retreated to safer areas. And now people have moved into the corridors once used by the elephants. Richard Leakey poaching elephants people Culture represents a novelty in the world of nature, and it could have added an effective, unifying edge to the forces of natural selection. Richard Leakey nature culture world I ... believe the study of human history remains important and should not be banned. We should ensure that any archaeological studies are conducted with sensitivity and respect. Reburying relics, in my view, does not help anyone go anywhere. Richard Leakey important views believe It occurred to me that if I did not handle the crash correctly, there would be no survivors. Richard Leakey aviation survivor would-be It is virtually impossible to control Northern Kenya, which is populated chiefly by migrant nomads. Richard Leakey kenya migrants impossible Whether or not all this came to pass in an East African ditch, I wouldn't like to say. Perhaps it happened in North Africa or further west, but Africa was definitely the place. Richard Leakey happened east west Along the borders to Ethiopia and Somalia, anarchy reigns, the police and military have retreated quite some distance. Richard Leakey distance police military When out fossil hunting, it is very easy to forget that rather than telling you how the creatures lived, the remains you find indicate only where they became fossilized. Richard Leakey fossils hunting forget For fossils to thrive, certain favorable circumstances are required. First of all, of course, remnants of life have to be there. These then need to be washed over with water as soon as possible, so that the bones are covered with a layer of sediment. Richard Leakey layers water needs The elephants were being slaughtered in masses. Some were even killed in the vicinity of big tourist hotels. Richard Leakey tourism tourists elephants Ideally, there should be no transportation in a national park. Richard Leakey environment We can't say to the Nairobi resident: 'You have to sit in a traffic jam for the rest of your life,'. Richard Leakey environment In a perverse way, because that bridge ... is an example that an African nation that cares for wildlife and has gone out of its way to consider the interests of wildlife, it will actually attract people who want to see it. Richard Leakey environment
