Biologist’s memoir of 1950s Africa

by Kelley Teahen

Anne Innis Dagg, well known as an academic adviser with UW’s Independent Studies program, lists her areas of academic interest as “giraffe and Africa; gaits of mammals; sexual bias in behavioural biology; feminism, especially in academic; a historical study on Canadian women non-fiction authors and their books; sociobiology; animal rights.”

To understand how such an eclectic range of interests came together, it’s instructive to read Dagg’s latest book, Pursuing Giraffe: A 1950s Adventure, published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press’s Life Writing Series.

In the early 1950s, Anne Innis was a gold-medal biology student at University of Toronto, the daughter of academics, who had been besotted with giraffes since she was a little girl. Unlike others who fall for the “tall blondes” of the animal world and are content to visit them in zoos, she was determined to see them in the wild and use her training in zoology to understanding these creatures better.

Her first attempts to find a way to Africa were unsuccessful so she first completed a master’s degree in genetics, studying mice, in Toronto. She finally connected with a professor at Rhodes University in South Africa who knew a farmer who had giraffe roaming in his vast cattle ranch. One catch, though: The farmer was happy to have a male student board at the ranch and set up observation posts, but was uncomfortable at the thought of a woman moving in.

Nevertheless, Innis headed off, by boat to London and then again by boat to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, taking her chances that, by showing up, she’d be able to change the farmer’s mind.

Her journey from there is as much about her observation of the species homo sapiens as it is about her study of giraffa camelopardalis.

Graduate students travelling abroad, especially to Africa, to undertake research was uncommon in the 1950s. Even less common was a young academic woman heading out on her own – Dagg believes that she was among the first, to be followed four years later by Dian Fossey, studying chimpanzees. As well, she spent much of her time in South Africa, where apartheid laws were being enacted. She became sensitized to hierarchy everywhere she looked: at the college dining hall, between undergraduates and faculty; between social hostesses and their “coloured” or “black” servants; between whites and non-whites, almost everywhere. The seeds of feminism were sown in her African experience, and were well watered there.

She did soon find her way to giraffe at Fleurs de Lys ranch, and her great affection for the farm’s owner, Alexander Matthew, shows in the many stories she shares, even though to this day she cannot reconcile how he could be so generous with people like her, and yet show such disdain toward black Africans. Her travels also took her to Dar es Salaam, to work at a clerical job to finance her studies, and to sights such as Mt. Kilimanjaro (which she climbed, aided by black African guides). The story in her book continues: she is thwarted in attempts to study East African giraffes but travels through Kenya, Uganda, North and South Rhodesia on her way back to another stint conducting studies in South Africa.

Her observation of giraffe in 1956-57 formed the basis of later academic writings, including her PhD in animal behaviour from UW. Her most startling observation at Fleurs de Lys was seeing two male giraffes, nicknamed “Star” and “Lumpy” from their physical markings, quit “sparring” (giraffe head-butting), and start caressing, followed by Star mounting Lumpy in what was clearly giraffe gay sex. “I know virtually nothing about human homosexual behaviour, it being the 1950s, but have assumed from our homophobic Western culture that it’s something men do with each other because they are bad. Yet here is my favourite giraffe doing apparently the same thing, and certainly neither Star nor Lumpy are bad. What’s going on?”

Indeed. In this passage, and throughout, Innis Dagg lets us see this 1950s Africa through the innocent gaze of her 1950s self, while keeping us aware that both she and Africa have changed considerably since those days.

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Faster payment for research travel claims

New procedures are “being rolled out over the summer” that will cut down on paperwork and provide faster reimbursement for faculty, staff or students who travel in connection with research projects.

A pilot project this spring in biology, computer science and the Population Health Group in applied health sciences has been a success, says Alan George, vice-president (university research), so the new and simpler procedures are going into effect campus-wide.

George is chair of a “Research Finance Task Force” that was created last fall to look at policies, procedures and business practices related to research finance. “One area reviewed,” he says in a memo announcing the changes, “was procedures related to travel; the objective was to reduce the time required for reimbursement by streamlining the process through which reimbursement occurs.

“The Task Force initiated a pilot project where a travel advance or claim/settlement form is reviewed at the department/school, research group or Faculty level, and then sent directly to Finance for processing. This differs from the current process, where the form goes to the Office of Research for review before going to Finance.

“A staff member in the unit is responsible for checking completeness and accuracy of the form. The reviewer will clarify/resolve any questions with the claimant before obtaining the appropriate one-over-one signature and sending the claim to Finance. It is then the joint responsibility of the traveler and his/her supervisor to ensure reasonableness of the claim and compliance with University policy or research sponsor guidelines.”

In the pilot project, George said, experience was “very good, with claims arriving in Finance with correct documentation and payment in CAD or USD currency normally occurring within 7-10 business days.”

Eventually, research travel claims from all academic areas will be “reviewed at source and sent directly to Finance for processing. Finance will work with the Executive Assistant, or delegate, in each Faculty to determine an appropriate transition to the new process. Staff members from the Office of Research and the Department of Finance will be available to assist with training and documentation.”

A major issue in dealing with reimbursement for travel — whether it’s a faculty member collecting data in the field or a graduate student presenting work at a conference — is the need to conform to rules set out by the agency that’s paying the cost. Most major funding agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the provincial government, have similar but not always identical rules, George says. So an Integrated Travel Policy Checklist has been prepared — which, the VP says, “has proved to be a very effective aid in preparing travel claims.” It’s available online.

“We are convinced,” says George, “that (the new system) will provide improved service to all who travel on behalf of the University. The longer term intention is to handle claims electronically, which should streamline the process even more.”

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Energy evaluation program to continue

The UW-based Residential Energy Efficiency Project has found a way to stay in operation despite the loss of federal government funding, says its manager, Mary Jane Patterson, who issued an announcement Tuesday morning.

REEP is sponsored by the faculty of environmental studies and housed at the downtown ES outpost at 191 King Street West, Kitchener. Staffed largely by graduate students, it provides an assessment service that will tell homeowners how much energy their houses waste and what changes they could make, and points them toward government grants to help reduce energy consumption.

“Please help us spread the good news,” says Patterson’s memo. “The project is open for business, thanks to our great local partners, and especially, local electric utilities. REEP now offers EnerGuide for Houses home energy evaluations for only $100 across Waterloo Region.

“Thank you to all friends of REEP who wrote letters to the federal government and your local MPs protesting the withdrawal of federal funding for the EnerGuide for Houses program. We continue to lobby both federal and provincial governments to return homeowner grants for energy efficiency, and to support home energy evaluations. No word yet, but we'll keep you posted.”

She noted that the City Councils of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge have passed resolutions urging the federal government to restore its support for the program. “Their actions spurred the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to pass a similar emergency motion of its own at its Annual General Meeting in May.”

Patterson says Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro, and Waterloo North Hydro are “stepping in where the federal government withdrew. They are contributing between $100 to $160 for each EnerGuide for Houses evaluation to make it more affordable for their customers. This, added to the ongoing funding they provide, and funding from the cities of Kitchener and Cambridge, as well as Kitchener Utilities, adds up to one low price across Waterloo Region for an EnerGuide for Houses evaluation: $100.

“Our Certified Energy Advisors provide a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency of the home, showing you how to save up to $500 annually in heating and cooling costs, and reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions by 2 to 4 tonnes per year.”

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