About Us
About Our Project
Our Founder,
Dr. Missy Williams, Ph.D.
We are a group that believes in compassionate conservation. Compassionate conservation merges animal welfare and conservation science to promote the respect, justice, and compassion of all wildlife. We recognize that all individuals matter and encourage a peaceful coexistence of human-wildlife interactions. The need for this approach is crucial as it is estimated that up to 50% of all species on the planet will disappear within the next 50 years (Koh et al. 2004). Compassionate conservation is an innovative framework that helps reshape our current conservation and management practices.
Dr. Pete Otovic
Dr. Pete Otovic began his career studying the social behavior and communication of non-human primates during his time in a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD program at the University of South Florida. He earned his veterinary degree from the University of Florida and then pursued a residency/board certification in laboratory animal medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he specialized in the care, anesthesia, surgery, analgesia, and welfare/behavior of a wide range of small mammals and exotics, with an emphasis in non-human primates. He spent a large portion of his career working to improve the welfare of primates living in laboratory animal facilities within both university and industry, but unfortunately was unsuccessful, and the experiences were traumatic. Dr. Pete now spends his time working with primates in sanctuaries and with dogs and cats at rescue facilities.
