Hi, my name is Francis and I’m the new research officer for the Little Fireface Project and also a PhD student. I’m a city boy in the middle of nowhere and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you about my research, the lorises and tales from the other side of the planet.

When you start a PhD you basically know what you want to do. Not what will happen. The loss and struggle for control is a hard thing to learn. I consider myself a very lucky person. I worked in reputable zoos as a keeper and then nutrition researcher and I was successful in enrolling in a PhD about primate conservation with the world’s expert on slow lorises as my supervisor. There go my plans of become a fancy rat breeder back in Canada (still plan B though).

We discussed and planned me doing my field work at the field station in Java, Indonesia and I knew it was going to happen but somehow I forgot to get ready and forgot to prepare myself mentally for it. Before I knew it, it was happeninnggg!!! Hopped on a giant double-decker bus with wings and I was off.

After a week in Jakarta getting all of the federal permits and visas I needed and another week in Yogyakarta taking an intensive Indonesian course, I was finally in Cipaganti ie. Loris Land. Driving up the steep rock road up a volcano to Cipaganti really made me think “what the hell did I get myself into…”

The team is very nice, including the native trackers that all thought my name was “Princess”. Plus they don’t laugh too much when I slip on the muddy slopes and end up doing the splits in the middle of the night looking for lorises so that’s also good. They do laugh when I smash my head against every low door frame in every building ever though. On my way out of the Kepala Desa’s office (Village head, very important man) … smashed my face against the wall above the door frame. I was almost beheaded. The tracker laughed so hard he farted. I’m off to a great start.

Francis or “Princess”