ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis field hockey goalie Tori Westhead spent her summer in Peru as part of a Tropical Biological Anthropology class. As part of the class, Westhead studied the behavioral patterns of the local tamarin wildlife.
“This class changed me as a person,” Westhead said. “We were in a very rural environment in a developing country. We were six hours from the nearest city. I learned a lot about teamwork, working with a group of people spread out 50-100 meters in the jungle. There were patches where we could not see each other and still worked together for the common goal.”
Westhead, an anthropology major focusing on biological anthropology, was part of a class that studied local tamarins, a small primate ranging from 13-30cm in length with a body weight ranging from a half pound to two pounds. Westhead would follow the primates from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and document their behavioral patterns. Several of the primates had radio collars to help track their movements.
Below are several stories from Westhead about her experience in Peru:
On being stung by a bullet ant, called by BBC “The world's most painful insect sting.”
“One day while hiking off trail with one of my classmates, we got stuck climbing up a super steep ravine. It was super muddy near the top and I grabbed a branch without looking (which you should never do in the rainforest) so I didn't slide all the way down into the water. As I stood, I brushed against a huge leaf and felt something drop down my shirt and sting me. I thought for sure it was a spider but my classmate told me it was the largest bullet ant she'd seen yet. She offered to go back to camp for help but I wanted to get away from that ant as fast as possible. Back at camp my professors didn't believe I'd been stung until I showed them the spot because bullet ants have the most painful sting on the planet. Some people experience hallucinations due to their stings. I didn't believe such a small bug could cause so much pain until I actually got stung.”
On having to teach tamarins about bananas:
“During our time in Peru we spent the last week doing personal research. I focused on the tamarins at the research site because they are more habituated to humans than the other nine types of primates found there. We set out bananas to get them to come to an area where it's easy to observe them. But, because there aren't any banana trees at the site, my professors actually brought a tamarin in from the U.S. to show the primates that bananas are good to eat. Now they love bananas so much that if you don't get the banana out early enough, the group will be there waiting for a banana when you arrive.”
On how this experience will affect her on the field:
“This experience really helped me physically with field hockey. We usually hiked about 6 miles through the rainforest in the mornings and had downtime in the afternoons. Even though it was the hottest time of day and I was mud-covered, exhausted and cut up from keeping up with primates through the jungle, I still had to get out from under the canopy and go to where it was much hotter and more humid to get that day's workout in. I also really had to motivate myself and have confidence in myself because at least once a week we did something that required climbing to new heights. The first week we climbed 15 meters in a tree and by the last week we had climbed up to 60. When your biggest fear is heights and there's no one around that has your back, you really have to believe in yourself to be able to finish the task. Even though I was terrified, I was one of only two students in my course to climb all the way to the top of a 40m tree - above the canopy - and back unassisted. It definitely helped me grow as a person and a leader, both of which will help me lead the team as one of the team captains this fall.”
Recommendation to anyone considering a similar adventure:
“To anyone considering taking a course internationally, or in an impoverished area, or in a field that they know will challenge them, I say go for it. Take the chance and run with it. Regardless of what you are told or know will happen, it will be unlike anything you could ever possibly imagine. It will humble you, it will test you mentally, physically and emotionally, and it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. While I was there I did things that I may never get the chance to do again, and I don't regret a moment I spent there, even though it was an incredibly demanding course.”
