Dr. Stephen Ross
Stephen Ross, began his career in animal behavior studying alternative housing for domestic pigs as a research assistant at the Center for Food and Animal Research in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Following a year studying free-ranging rhesus monkeys in Puerto Rico, he continued to pursue his interest in the proximate and ultimate effects of captive environments on animal welfare as a researcher at facilities in Texas and Georgia. Here he helped conduct studies of the effects of human interaction, social introductions and computer-assisted enrichment on the behavior of chimpanzees. In 2000, Steve was hired by Lincoln Park Zoo as a behavior specialist with a primary role in the design of what eventually became the award-winning Regenstein Center for African Apes, which due to a wide breadth of ape and visitor studies influenced the design of the ape facility. Dr. Ross serves as the Chair of the Chimpanzee SSP, and leads the multi-institutional AZA, and Chair of ChimpHaven.
