I have always been an “animal person,” even when I was very young. As a toddler, I could not have cared less about dolls, and had only a passing interest in blocks.
But I was absolutely devoted to my collection of stuffed animals, even going so far as to throw regular birthday parties for members of the inanimate menagerie. I never got the pet rabbit I dreamed of, but my family had dogs, fish, mice and a hermit crab named Hero. When adults asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was: a veterinarian.
Of course, dreams evolve, and mine were no exception. As a teenager, I decided I wanted to be a neuroscientist. Then, in college, I found my way into science journalism. Over the course of my 20-year career, I have covered all kinds of topics, including autism, aging and food science. I joined The New York Times in 2021 to help cover Covid-19, but I have since found myself returning, again and again, to stories about animals.
Today, I have what is, in my highly biased personal opinion, the best beat at The Times, writing about animal health and science. I’m drawn to these types of stories because they have a way of making the world feel both bigger and smaller.
Some stories highlight how different the lives and experiences of other species can be from our own — to a bird, for instance, the sky isn’t blue. Others showcase the sometimes surprising similarities. I have written about how ants and orcas respond to death, for example, and how many species have communication systems that are far more complex than humans have long given them credit for.
Over the last few years, my reporting has taken me to some remarkable places. I visited a retirement home for former research chimpanzees who were learning how to respond to extreme weather in Keithville, La.; a U.S. Navy base in San Diego that trains dolphins and sea lions to perform military tasks; and a wildlife preserve in the Australian outback that is trying to save some of the most endangered animals on Earth.
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