NYU Abu Dhabi students traveled to Uganda for three days to learn about local customs, engage with community members, and trek through the jungle to observe endangered species in the wild. The trip was part of the Extinction Core Curriculum class. 

Assistant Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies Nathalie Peutz said the aim of the course is to:

• learn about the eviction of the Batwa "pygmies" from the national park that is home to the gorillas
• consider the relationship between the extinction of a species and the extinction of culture, music cultures, languages, and lifeways
• grapple with the problematic tensions between conservation, development, and tourism

I wanted them to really look at and be looked at by a critically endangered species in the wild ... and learn about the reasons for the critical endangerment of one of our genetically near relatives — reasons like habitat reduction due to logging and charcoal extraction, the hunting of apes for bush meat, and the devastating scourge of Ebola.

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