Vernon Reynolds

Vernon Reynolds (born 14 December 1935) is a British biological anthropologist known for his research on chimpanzee behavior and as founder of the Budongo Conservation Field Station. He has been described as "...one of a trio of pioneers (Jane Goodall and Adriaan Kortlandt being the others) who founded field studies of chimpanzees in the 1960s."

Education Reynolds was educated at Collyer's School, Horsham and University College, London.

Research

Budongo Conversation Field Station In 1990, Reynolds founded the Budongo Conservation Field Station (BCFS) in the Budongo Forest in Uganda. In 1988, as Uganda faced a civil war, Reynolds read a news report from a major Ugandan newspaper concerning chimpanzee infants being smuggled as pets for wealthy individuals in Dubai.

Study on Chimpanzee Culture In 1999, Reynolds, Jane Goodall, and his research team published an extensive study on the cultural variation of chimpanzees. Their study expanded on some of the previously known chimpanzees' behavioral patterns. The Sonso community is a group of fifty chimpanzees that resides in the Budongo Forest.

The book described the community's social organization, diet, culture, behavioral adaptations while living in the complex environment of the Budongo Forest.

Toward the end of the book, Reynolds discussed some of the threats that the Sonso community faced and issues with conservation efforts, including revenge huntings from hostilities with the local people and accidental killings from snares. He was honored for his research, conservation contributions, and advancement of education toward non-human primates.