As I stated in an earlier post, my first step is volunteering at a refuge. I have no desire to get in over my head. Remember, this has been something I have been wanting to do for almost 2 decades...
And the primatologists mentioned (Fossey, et al) who did their ground-breaking research BECAME well-respected AFTER they decided to say "screw it" to the non-believers and just did as they felt right - something that I may do in the future.
It seems those scientific mavericks have brought a lot to the study of Ethology, so who is to say that I could not? Simply because I am not "known" or "funded" right now? And simply because the universities get funding, does NOT mean they are any better - or do anything more humanely - that I would - I have seen it before.
I have followed very talented dog trainers who have specifically learned training through their interaction and understanding of wolf behavior - on a personal level. Bashkim Dibra and his wolf Mariah come to mind. I feel he brought a lot to dog training through his knowledge, and if I were able to do the same, it would be more than woth it. Jeez, it would be more than worth it for me to have that experience, whether I write a book or not...
Just because I am not part of a university (though perhaps I could see if UFL would mind my doing a doctorate on the subject) does not mean I should be barred from learning this way simply because it is less "acceptable" to society?
As I had mentioned before, I am also interested in studying coyote behavior - I am not looking for funding to go and research them in the field - does it make my observing them wrong? Or less acceptable? And to whom? Again, I am not interested in reproducing the results in a lab - Ethologists don't do that, but they trust each other's research - even though most hard-core scientists would consider it anecdotal. Does that make it less valuable?
I read "anecdotal" stuff all the time - one of my favorite books is about Charley the coyote (Shreve Stockton's book The Daily Coyote) as well as Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf. Are they "science"? Not really. They are excellent insights into ethological studies of the species - even if they aren't reproducible, they are no doubt vauable to those interested in behavior... who is to say I wouldn't be the next Farley Mowat? We all start somewhere...
|