Annelisa Kilbourn

Annelisa Marcelle Kilbourn (27 June 1967 – 2 November 2002) was a British conservationist, veterinarian and wildlife expert. She worked in Malaysia guarding free-ranging elephants and orangutans and protecting Sumatran rhinoceros and in Madagascar studying ring-tailed lemurs. Kilbourn went on to work at the Lincoln Park Zoo and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. In Gabon, she established that wild gorillas were susceptible to death of the Ebola virus and could be transmitted to humans through hunting and eating infected species. In 2003, Kilbourn was posthumously elected to the Global 500 Roll of Honour by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Early life and education On 27 June 1967, She was the daughter of Hans and Barry Kilbourn; Kilbourn has one sister. She went on to reside in Belgium before relocating to Westport, Connecticut in 1981. from which she graduated in 1990. Her adviser discerned her academic ability and encouraged her to apply for an East African internship. When Kilbourn completed the project, she worked at the Lincoln Park Zoo and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as part of a post-doctorate programme from 1998 to 2000.