2 Mar 2021
Award-winning explorer, researcher, presenter and best-selling author revealed as third keynote at BSAVA Virtual Congress.
James Westgate
Job Title
Lucy Cooke – the award-winning zoologist, wildlife presenter and National Geographic explorer – has been announced as the third keynote speaker at BSAVA Virtual Congress (25 to 27 March).
The best-selling author will be highlighting her recent studies on the females of the species, as well as revealing how we must all embrace our inner sloth to save ourselves and the planet. She will be joining Jenny Campbell and Dr Ranj for a keynote triple bill each morning at the event.
With the veterinary profession becoming an increasingly female-dominated workplace, Miss Cooke will be making pertinent references to her new book, Bitch: the Female of the Species, providing illuminating reasons why the profession is set to gain advantages from the move away from traditional male prevalence.
She said: “I understand that the vet profession is now almost 80% female, so I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak preview of the content of my new book on female animals.
“Darwin portrayed female animals as passive, coy and irrelevant to evolution. So they went unstudied. In the past few decades there has been a revolution in our understanding of female animals, spearheaded by mostly female scientists. They’ve shown that being female covers a diverse range of physiology and behaviours – dominance, aggression, promiscuity, competitiveness – but also how females exert as much, if not more, influence on the path of evolution.”
Miss Cooke has a master’s degree in zoology from New College Oxford, where she studied evolution and animal behaviour under Richard Dawkins. Her work as a writer/producer on Meet the Sloths won a prestigious award and spawned a major 13-part series for Animal Planet.
She will give her keynote speech at BSAVA Virtual Congress on Thursday morning.
BSAVA Virtual Congress 2021 will offer more than 180 live sessions and webinars, presented by in excess of 150 speakers.
The format blends clinical, practical and interactive content across a number of topics, including opportunities to learn about new innovations and the latest research within the small animal veterinary sector.
A range of training initiatives through multimedia resources will feature, as well as bespoke visits to the virtual exhibition. Health and well-being sessions have also been woven into the daily experience, together with socials including virtual tastings, discos, live music and cocktail classes.
BSAVA president Ian Ramsey said: “We are thrilled to welcome Lucy to her first ever BSAVA Congress.
“Her admirable research and literally slothful experiences, together with her captivating talent for storytelling and humour, are sure to make this keynote presentation one of the highlights of the event.”
