Human obituaries
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2006:
Linda Howard, 39, unexpectedly shot herself on July 27,
2006, after a domestic dispute at her home in San Antonio, Texas.
A computer systems analyst by trade, Howard was by avocation a
humane investigator, animal rights organizer, and behind-the-scenes
communicator and facilitator, who for more than 15 years helped to
bring wildlife traffickers and abusers to justice, organized the
coast-to-coast Primate Freedom Tour in 1999, brokered exotic animal
rescues and relocations worldwide by telephone and Internet, and
helped to research more than fifty articles for ANIMAL PEOPLE,
mostly declining public credit for her contributions. Briefly
employed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Friends of
Animals, Howard preferred to volunteer, assisting dozens of
organizations as opportunity permitted. “Primates never had a better
friend and primate abusers never had a more formidable foe,”
recalled International Primate Protection League founder Shirley
McGreal. “Despite her years of selfless struggle on behalf of our
primate cousins, Linda had never seen a wild monkey. I invited her
to come with me to the International Primatolog-ical Society Congress
held in Entebbe, Uganda, in late June 2006, and to travel with me
afterwards to Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda. On
the drive up we saw many baboons and every time Linda would insist
the driver stop and we would watch the troop until the baboons
disappeared from view. We went on to Jacana Lodge in the forested
area of Queen Elizabeth Park. The trees were full of exquisite
colobus monkeys and the more elusive redtail guenons. One night I
was in the lodge reception area and Linda stayed in the room. There
was a knock on the door. Linda opened the door and there stood a
mother and baby baboon. It was as if they somehow knew there was a
friend behind that door. The baboons made no effort to enter. They
just stood there briefly, and left. Linda was overjoyed.”