She’s been charged by a 400-pound silverback gorilla, discovered a new species of lemur, worked with leopards in Namibia, starred in her own NatGeo WILD TV series and is a Fulbright Scholar.
Oh and did we mention she has six children and is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader?
Renowned wildlife expert and primatologist Mireya Mayor has all those accomplishments and more. She’ll share her story and her adventures as an explorer during the first National Geographic Live presentation of the new season, “Pink Boots and a Machete”– the title of her latest book – Nov. 13 at the Royal Theatre.
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“What I get most excited about in talking to a live audience is the idea that I’ll be introducing them to places and animals they don’t already know about,” Mayor told Monday in a phone interview from New York.
She points to the discovery of the world’s smallest primate, a mouse lemur in Madagascar, as an example.
“A lot of the animals that I have studied throughout my career – and very much on purpose – are on the verge of extinction; some of which had never been photographed, just line drawings done of them,” she said. “[The lemur discovery] will be a big part of my presentation.”
Her work in the area led the government of Madagascar to create a national park to protect the tiny creatures and prevent the further spread of deforestation, its biggest threat.
Mayor, known in some circles as the “female Indiana Jones,” is in demand as a lecturer at schools and universities around North America. She hopes her stories and experiences will inspire people to make a difference to a world under siege due to climate change.
“Hopefully they will be super excited by the stories that I share,” she said. “My hope is that after attending they’ll feel inspired to want to help make a difference and inspired to think they can help create change in the world.”
Tickets for the Nov. 13 event start at $37.50 and are available at rmts.bc.ca by clicking on Tickets & Events. You can also call 250-386-6121 or drop by the Royal or McPherson theatre box offices.
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Other presentations in the NatGeo Live series include photographer Florian Schulz with “Into the Arctic Kingdom,” on Feb. 27, 2019; and NASA engineer Kobie Boykins hosting “Exploring Mars” on May 8.
