USU's Science Unwrapped Shares World with Big Animals Friday, Sept. 15

Lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!

Large terrestrial mammals fill us with wonder, curiosity and sometimes fear, but imagine a world without them.

Utah State University wildlife ecologist Johan du Toit explores this possibility at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program Friday, Sept. 15. du Toit, professor in USU’s Department of Wildland Resources and the USU Ecology Center, presents “Sharing the World with Big Animals,” at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130, of the Eccles Science Learning Center on USU’s Logan campus.

Hosted by USU’s College of Science, admission is free and all ages are welcome. Refreshments and hands-on learning activities conducted by USU students and faculty members, along with community groups, follow du Toit’s talk.

du Toit, who’s studied such species as elephants, giraffes and varied predators in Africa, as well as bison and elk in the western United States, will discuss these large animals in the context of human evolution, social organization and technological development, leading to present-day conservation concerns.

“It will not all be gloom-and-doom, but I want to help listeners understand where humans came from – as members of a rich community of large mammals – and how to plan ahead for the best of the global situations toward which humanity is headed – that is, a world without many big animals,” he says.

The Sept 15 presentation kicks off Science Unwrapped’s Fall 2017 Ecology! Series, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the USU Ecology Center. Additional presentations are scheduled for Oct. 6 and Nov. 3.

For more information, call 435-797-3517, visit the Science Unwrapped website or view the ‘Science Unwrapped at USU’ Facebook page. 

Related links:
USU College of Science 

Contact: Nancy Huntly, 435-797-2555, nancy.huntly@usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu