Joyce Hatheway Poole (born 1 May 1956) is an elephant researcher based at the

Gorongosa National Park Gorongosa National Park is at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in the heart of central Mozambique, Southeast Africa. The more than park comprises the valley floor and parts of surrounding plateaus. Rivers originating on nearby ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

. Her body of research has led to discoveries about their social and sexual lives and their communicative and cognitive abilities. Her work and research on elephant societies played a central role in the eventual international ban on the trade of

ivor Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse ''Ívarr'', or from Welsh (which spells it ''Ifor''), Irish (sometimes ''Ibar''), or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form.The Oxford ...

y. She became the head of the Elephant Program for the

Kenya Wildlife Service Kenya Wildlife Service is a state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife established by an act of Parliament; Wildlife Conservation and Management Act CAP 376, of 1989, now repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Conservation and Ma ...

from 1990 to 1994. She is the founder of the charity Elephant Voices, is the author of a memoir titled ''Coming of Age With Elephants'', and has been the subject of numerous documentaries.

Early life

Born in Germany to American parents, she spent the first 6 years of her life in Connecticut when she moved with her parents to Malawi and then Kenya. In 1966, when she was 11 years old, she went to one of primatologist

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

's lectures on her research with chimpanzees, and made a determination to become an

animal behavior Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective ...

researcher. She graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

in 1979 with a degree in biology and received her PhD in animal behavior from

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1983.American Women of Science Since 1900, Volume 1 By Tiffany K. Wayne, Page 768

Research and work

Poole's research has focused on communication behaviors in

African bush elephants The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body m ...

, and has identified more than 200 distinct vocal and physical expressions. She has also documented elephants using vocal imitation. This research helped support efforts to internationally ban the

ivory trade The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, mammoth, and most commonly, African and Asian elephants. Ivory has been traded for hundreds of years by people in Africa and ...

. She is one of five co-authors of ''The Elephant Charter'', an effort to provide a scientifically based guidance for those forming public policies related to elephants. She also co-founded ElephantVoices, a California-based non-profit elephant advocacy group, and has helped to establish multiple Africa-based elephant conservation projects.

Books

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Joyce Women ethologists 1956 births Living people Elephant conservation Smith College alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge 20th-century women writers 21st-century women writers