Skip to main content
Kyoto University » Primatology and Wildlife Research

Search form

CICASP | Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology

  • About CICASP
  • Admissions
    • Graduate Course
    • Application
    • FAQ
    • Other Programs
    • Funding
    • Testimonials
    Stay
  • Research Units
  • People
    • CICASP Staff
    • Students
    • Alumni
    Stay
  • Education

    View: Education

    • Fundamental Lectures
    • Inuyama Nerds
    • Other Educational Events
    • Sci Comm Workshops
    Stay
  • News & Media
    • Announcements
    • Articles
    • Events
    • Interviews
    • Podcasts
    • Publications
    Stay
  • Campus Life
    • Around Inuyama
    • Around Nagoya
    • Festivals
    • On Campus
    Stay
  • Contact
HomeNodeThe PrimateCast Origins (75): Professor Mewa Singh on his half-century journey into primatology and wildlife...
  • November 24th 2023

    From Cacophony to Symphony: The Harmonious Interplay of Animal Cognition and Communication with Dr. Tecumseh Fitch

    Listen
  • November 5th 2023
    Laura Buck with a Schematic of her research being done at Kyoto University

    Unraveling the Secrets of Cold Adaptation and Hybridization in Primates with Evolutionary Anthropologist Dr. Laura Buck

    Listen
  • October 25th 2023
    urban macaques on motorbike (left) and primatologist Paula Pebsworth (right)

    Exploring Human-Primate Coexistence with Dr. Paula Pebsworth: A Journey from the Vineyards of Napa Valley to the Wilds of Africa, Asia and Beyond

    Listen
  • September 27th 2023

    Change: Primate Populations in an Anthropogenic World with Primatologist and Conservation Biologist Dr. Colin Chapman

    Listen
  • September 27th 2023

    Understanding the Ins and Outs of Tool Use in Capuchin Monkeys with Professor Patricia Izar

    Listen
  • August 8th 2023
    Reggie and undergraduate students at Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

    Exploring Comparative Primate Cognition with Dr. Reggie Gazes and Dr. Ikuma Adachi

    Listen
  • July 20th 2023

    From Gorillas to Elephants: Dr. Ian Redmond on Wildlife Conservation in Africa

    Listen
  • July 19th 2023

    The PrimateCast 83: Journey into the Wild with The Orangutan Conservation Project's Leif Cocks

    Listen
  • July 19th 2023

    The PrimateCast Origins (82): Tarzan meets Darwin in conservation and evolution with conservationist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Fred Bercovitch

    Listen
  • June 9th 2023

    The PrimateCast 81: Born Free USA's Devan Schowe on animal advocacy, ethics, welfare and conservation in the USA

    Listen
  • April 21st 2023

    The PrimateCast Origins (80): Walking with gorillas and Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian

    Listen
  • March 29th 2023

    The PrimateCast 79: Dr. Tesla Monson on what teeth can tell us about the life histories and behavior of extinct species (and cool science communication!)

    Listen

The PrimateCast

The PrimateCast - Podcast
Catch interviews from the world of primatology, wildlife science and beyond with The PrimateCast. Available here or on iTunes. Subscribe to our rss feed, add us on iTunes and follow us on social media at Facebook and Twitter @ThePrimateCast. View all Podcasts
Subscribe to The PrimateCast
 
 
iTunes Channel
 

Topics

  • Announcements (23)
  • Articles (3)
  • Events (34)
  • Interviews (1)
  • Podcasts (92)
  • Publications (28)

Recent News

Virtual Open Campus 2025
November 26th 2024
Read More >
International Primatology Lecture 27: Dr. Jörg Ganzhorn
November 8th 2024
Read More >
Mike Huffman Kick Off Retirement event banner
A Kick Off Event: Learning to be a Monkey Part II with Dr. Michael A. Huffman
March 27th 2024
Read More >
View all News ›

Monthly Archive

  • November 2024 (2)
  • March 2024 (1)
  • February 2024 (1)
  • January 2024 (1)
  • November 2023 (2)
  • October 2023 (3)

Follow Us

The PrimateCast Origins (75): Professor Mewa Singh on his half-century journey into primatology and wildlife biology

December 9th 2022
Podcasts

This episode features paleoanthropologist and science educator Dr. Briana Pobiner.

The PrimateCast

A half-century journey into primatology and wildlife biology with Professor Mewa Singh

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Subscribe with Apple Podcasts
Subscribe with RSS
Download this episode

December 01, 2022

Mewa Singh

Send us a text

This episode of The PrimateCast: Origins is taken from CICASP's International Primatology Lecture Series: Past, Present and Future Perspectives of the Field.

The IPLS is dedicated to providing origin stories told by experienced researchers in primatology and related fields. The lectures are conducted via Zoom within our CICASP Seminar in Science Communication for graduate students of our program at Kyoto University. We are releasing the audio from these lectures right here on The PrimateCast: Origins.

For anyone interested in viewing the video versions of these lectures, head over to the CICASP TV YouTube channel, where you can also watch them live as we stream our Zoom feeds there.

For the 12th international primatology lecture we invited distinguished professor Dr. Mewa Singh to share his origin story with us. This lecture took place on May 25, 2022.

-----
"One need not have a formal degree in a discipline, to become a specialist in that discipline"
-Mewa Singh, 2022
-----

Dr. Mewa Singh is Life-Long Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Institute of Excellence at the University of Mysore. Throughout his career he has investigated the behavior and ecology of mammals, most notably primates, and has been heavily invested in their conservation and management in different regions throughout India.

In this lecture, he describes his activities related to the conservation of primates in India, particularly through distinctions between forest-dependent species and others that are more adaptable to human-dominated landscapes. He then describes various behavioral adaptations that have allowed more commensal macaque species to thrive in urban settings.

Key topics that come up are:

  • genetic diversity in lion-tailed macaques with respect to habitat fragmentation
  • protecting habitat and regrowing wildlife corridors with rainforest trees
  • primate commensalism and behavioral plasticity in urban environments
  • acquisition of novel foraging strategies as adaptations to extracting human resources

He begins the lecture talking about how he became a wildlife biologist and primatologist, and that it wasn't exactly a straight line or so predetermined from a young age. And he closes with some further advice about studying primates ethically in human landscapes. 

In between, he provides numerous pieces of advice and bits of wisdom that will no doubt have value for all listeners. 

Enjoy!. 

The PrimateCast is hosted and produced by Andrew MacIntosh. Artwork by Chris Martin. Music by Andre Goncalves.

Here's what you can do to get in touch!

  • Connect with us on Facebook, X, or Instagram
  • Subscribe where you get your podcasts
  • Email theprimatecast@gmail.com with thoughts and comments

If you value the show, leave ratings and reviews wherever it is that you listen, and consider donating by clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

Thanks for being part of The PrimateCast Community!

Navigation

  • About
  • Program
  • People
  • News & Media
  • Campus Life
  • Contact

Follow Us

^Top

Contact Information

CICASP, Kyoto University (Inuyama Campus), 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
Phone: +81 (0)568-63-0284
Fax: +81 (0)568-61-1050
Email: cicasp [at] mail2 [dot] adm [dot] kyoto-u [dot] ac [dot] jp

© 2025 Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University