Contributions by role
Contributions by subject area
Caterina Spiezio
Summary
I am the head of Research and Conservation Department of Parco Natura Viva. I obtained my PhD at University of Milan observing lemurs’ hand preference in Madagascar to study the evolution of human handedness. Through my PhD research project in Madagascar I had the opportunity to understand the importance of in-situ conservation. Coming back from Madagascar I took a research fellowship at Goldsmith College on “social learning in non-human primates”. Following, I had a research fellowship at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste where a new project on social learning in children and non-human primates started. Primates of Parco Natura Viva were involved in the project and I had the opportunity to introduce new techniques on animal welfare, training and enrichment program, to improve animal welfare. Started from 2006 I have been employed at Parco Natura Viva as researcher and in 2008 I became the head of Research and Conservation Department focusing my attention on animal welfare. Cognition, animal behavior, animal welfare, animal sociality became the fields of the research of the Department adding in-situ Conservation and reintroduction projects. I am the supervisor of about 20 undergraduate student research projects per year. I am the EEP coordinator of Lemur catta, member of the EEP Committee of the Cotton Top Tamarin and the Barbary Macaque, member of the EAZA Animal Welfare Working Group and author of peer-reviewed papers, commentaries and proceedings.